The Stuff of Legends
by Santoryuu3
Summary: Zoro sacrificed himself for Luffy, giving his life for him at Thriller Bark. The distraught Straw Hats struggle to decide what to do next. Robin reveals a Legend of Ressurection on Myth Island, but it calls for the dead man to have been in love. Despite being skeptical that Zoro could love anyone, the Straw Hats set sail. However, under a 48 hour time limit, will it be too late?
1. Zoro's Lament

**This prologue can also be found in my 100 Theme Challenge as _Sacrifice, _posing as a ZoLu nakamaship one-shot. But it's primary function is sparking interest in the story known as The Stuff of Legends.  
**

**Please review! Because this makes me feel like a ****horrible person, and I need some encouragement to turn this into a happy ending.**

Chapter 1 - Zoro's Lament

_"When I decided to follow my dream, I  
had already discarded my life."  
Roronoa Zoro_

Sometimes, I forgot why I joined his crew. I wondered why I put up with his stupidity and incompetence. He disturbed me every day, poking at my side and egging me on to play a childish game of tag. I would crack open one eye and tell him straight up no, and he would slouch away, muttering about my being a party pooper. I would close my eye and fall asleep again, only to be awoken by being stepped on by a stupid cook.

I hated the simple way he took things, the way he called everything a mystery. And his stupid rubber powers got in the way too, especially during meals. When dealing with a bottomless pit, you learn to guard your food with every amount of strength you had.

I was the first mate of the Straw Hat Pirates. Not by choice, of course. He practically forced me to join, and at first I was confident. This scrawny kid I could easily defeat in a fight any time I wanted. And one wrong step to lead me off from my dream, and his guts would be across my boots.

The Greatest Swordsman in the world. My dream. Not many pirates still carried that, a dream. Most sail on for the hell of it, going wherever the wind takes them and not giving a damn where they end up. They have nothing driving them on, no goal for them to accomplish. At times in my early life, I thought I was the only one with the ambition.

And then I met him. His confident smile spoke to me. To be the King of the Pirates, is what he said. And for some reason, I believed him. I may not even know his name, but the way he talked, that cheeky grin on his face and an enthusiastic thumbs up. I liked him. He had spunk, but I wouldn't go with him, I had my own goals, my own dreams to fulfill. And yet, I still went with him.

And now, if I could I would travel back in time and slap myself. Don't do it. Don't join up with this guy. Hell awaits you, and a stupid cook who won't shut the hell up about women. Save yourself and cherish your sanity while you still can.

But a me from the future would stop me, holding me back. He would tell me about the things I never would have accomplished had I not met him. For one, I would be dead, executed by that bastard marine. I never would have met Mihawk, and realized I still wasn't good enough.

I had gotten cocky. I already believed myself to be the best, and I thought the more swords, the more powerful one could be. That fight taught me I still had a hell of a lot to learn, that was for sure. And I had that scar to remind me. It pulsed every now and then, and I would immediately train, like it would egg me on, to not let myself get weak.

No, had I not met that rubber idiot, challenging an assassin from the North Blue would have been impossible. The accomplishment of slicing steel would have been out of my reach for many a year, possibly until I was even thirty years old, or more. That battle was a pain in the ass, but I was drawn to the breath of all things, feeling the presence of the life around me.

Had I not met him, battling a god in the sky would have been a distant dream. Had I not met him, defeating a giant giraffe-man would not have made the To Do list. Had I not met him, I would be as weak as ever, and possibly never be as strong as I am now.

Without knowing, I got stronger and stronger with every island we passed. It was subtle, but with every enemy defeated, my experience grew, and my katana thrived within my hands. Never would I have gained this much power only as a simple bounty hunter.

Tch. Had I not met him, I wouldn't be about to do this right now.

The giant ball of pain floated only a foot away, shimmering red with the rising sun. My breath came in deep gasps, and I could feel the blood staining my clothing, running down my arms and trickling down my back. My body was weak, unable to handle the constant fight after fight, and then surviving the giant bomb that blasted the entire ship Thriller Bark to kingdom come. And not only that, battling the bear man one on one was taking its toll. I was definitely at my physical limit.

That one sample he had given me. It was like fire in my veins. All my organs ripped themselves apart and were sewn together again, the skin peeled from my bones and nails driven into my skull. My eyes turned to goo inside my head, and ears pounded with blood. A scream ripped itself from my throat, a sound I had no idea I could make.

It was over in an instant, and I fell to the ground, desperately heaving air into my lungs. It was a glorious feeling, sweet oxygen filling my body. Despite this, I could barely move, and I was being pricked all over with a thousand needles. Being electrocuted by that witch's staff was a mosquito bite compared to this, and that for sure was saying something.

But now I stood alone. I had to do this. It was for him. All for him.

I had come to realize along our journey that our dreams all began to intersect with one another. I couldn't accomplish my dream if he didn't accomplish his. No one could. If he died, all our respective dreams would be crushed, annihilated, completely razed into oblivion. So now here I was thinking about everyone else. Even the shitty cook.

If I sacrificed myself, allowing the captain to live on, everyone else could see their dreams come true. One by one.

That coward would become the man he always wanted.

That witch would draw her stupid map.

That shitty dartboard would find his All Blue.

That bipolar reindeer would find his cure for all diseases.

That woman would find her Rio Poneglyph.

That perverted robot would sail to the ends of the earth on his ship.

That obnoxious skeleton would be reunited with his pet whale.

That stupid rubber man would become the King.

And me?

I lunged for the giant paw of pain, throwing my arms inside. Immediately, the pain raced through my body, turning it to what felt like molten lava. The sample had been multiplied four hundred thousand times, possibly even more. I was surprised I could even focus on anything right now as my body thrashed around, clawing at myself as if that would ease the pain.

As for me, well, I wouldn't become the greatest swordsman in the world. I was going to die, right here. And it was right at that moment when I realized why I joined him.

I joined him because I smelled adventure. He gave me opportunities to do what no man has done before, go where no man has gone, and see what no man has seen. He showed me what it means to have true nakama, to truly care about someone, and to love them so much you would risk your life for theirs.

Ha. Maybe I had learned something from a rubber brained moron. But as my world grew black, and my thoughts hazy, the one thing that remained in my head was a simple phrase, one I had declared defiantly only a while ago. I smiled through the pain that still wracked my body, closing my eyes and shouting out for the entire world to hear.

"_LUFFY IS THE MAN WHO WILL BE THE PIRATE KING!"_

**Coming Up: Chapter 2 - Ode of True Bonds**


	2. Ode of True Bonds

**I decided to write this story in first person. Don't you think it would be interesting from a ghost's point of view? Eh? Eh? *wink wink***

**Well, anyway. I was having a bit of a writers' block with my others so I thought I'd update this. I've had it written on paper for a while now and just now got around to typing it up. You're welcome.**

**This was posted as a continuation of the Stuff of Legends, but it shall also remain as a one-shot on an up-coming 100 Theme Challenge for Zoro I plan to try out. So that's food for thought. ****This is a ZoRobin story. However, I like hidden meanings and subtext, so if you see a pairing you like, then by all means think it's that pairing. I can see where you might find ZoLu or ZoSan or ZoNa. Or whatever. But it's first and foremost a ZoRo. Enjoy. ****Anyway, please please please review. It takes two seconds.**

**Review Corner:**

**CrazyFool65 – **I'm glad you liked it. And I hope you really enjoy the following storyline.

**Natylol – **'Awesome' won't even begin to describe what I've got in store for you! *insert sobby-evil laugh here*

**Mountain97 – **We never really do get inside his head, do we? Now that I think about it. But I had been wanting to write something like that for a long while, and I finally got around to it. And you can believe what you like, but he did die. :( Unfortunately, but ma**y**b**e**, ju**s**t maybe, he'll be returned to life.

**Igreg01 – **YEEEES! I am writing the story! I am continuing! Keep up the glorious enthusiasm!

**Roo17 – **Very much appreciated. :D

**DirectionallyChallengedZoro – **LUFFY IS THE MAN THAT WILL BE THE PIRATE KING! I WILL BE THE AUTHOR THAT SCREAMS THAT THERE IS FINALLY AN UPDATE! Carry on.

**Seis Fleur – **A smiley crying face. Exactly how I was while writing this chapter, actually.

Chapter 2 – Ode of True Bonds

_"If I can't even protect my captain's dream, then  
__whatever ambition I have is nothing but talk."  
__Roronoa Zoro_

I was floating. Floating in a dark world. No light. No warmth. Cold. Cold as nothing, as fear. The fear that weighs in your consciousness and shrouds all other thought until your blood freezes in your veins and you're too numb to feel anything else. Fear, pressing in on me from all sides, suffocating me. I cried out, but there was no one there. I was alone.

Loneliness, just about as terrifying as cold, as fear. No one to cry to, no one to comfort you. No one to take out your frustrations on and they never seem to learn and keep coming back. No. There was no one. Just me.

A green orb sudden appeared an arm's length away. Or it could have been miles; it was impossible to tell in this massive vacuum of nothingness. It didn't do anything, just whishing and glowing in place, tendrils of green smoke rising around it like steam from a coffee pot. I reached out to touch it; the steam tickled my bare skin, wrapping around my fingers. I tried to touch the source, but my hand passed right through, intangible.

The orb suddenly began to transform. It elongated, four separate pieces protruding from the sides. Its color faded to a tanned shade. It sprouted more lumps, slowly taking the form of legs, feet, arms, hands, fingers, and a head. The steam gathered at the peak of the head, condensing into hair.

It stopped morphing, and I stared at the sudden replica of myself that had appeared. I knew my hair anywhere, and my haramaki, my earrings. Anyone could see that this was me. But where were my prized katana? It was a one in a million chance to see me without them.

My eyes were closed, hard, shaded. My arms were crossed, fingers gripping the opposite bicep tightly. Slowly my clothes began to rip, shredding into tiny pieces that floated around aimlessly. Wide gashes sprouted on my skin, and blood poured from the open wounds, staining my body and clothes.

I didn't understand. What was happening? Why did I look like I'd just had a run in with death? This couldn't be happening! I waved my limbs wildly, trying to propel myself forward. I wouldn't believe it until I could feel its physical presence for myself. There was no way in hell I'd let myself get like that.

My fingertips brushed my toned bicep, and a white light suddenly rushed at me, and I had the sensation of falling. My stomach jumped into my throat, and a sharp wind bit into my back. A yell was ripped from my throat, and I soon stopped trying. No one would hear me, anyway. This continued for what seemed like an hour before I finally collided with something hard, lying spread-eagled on my back.

Rubbing the back of my head, I sat up and saw myself in a small rocky clearing. The stones were smeared in a red liquid, coating the ground. A few trees were uprooted, lying across the hard earth. Other trees stood around, but had taken a severe beating. I was examining the liquid when a branch snapped, and I lurched to my feet, whipping around to prepare to fight.

My body stood a few feet away, the same vision created by that green orb. I had been disembodied for some reason; maybe I was having one of those weird dreams, where people are sleeping and sit up, only to look behind them and see their body. I had almost convinced myself of this when my brain finally clicked, and my memory returned.

The searing pain, Luffy, Thriller Bark, Schibukai. I stumbled back a step, my eyes widening. _Oh shit. _I patted myself down, picking at the deep green yukata I was clothed in. My skin emitted a greenish tint, and if I looked closely enough, I could see my feet through my hand.

_I'm a ghost,_ I realized with dread. _I died._

"Oi, marimo!" a voice yelled. I looked up to see a familiar asshole appear from behind a boulder. If possible, the blonde cook looked even worse than however long ago I'd knocked him out. How much time had passed? Days, hours?

"There he is," Sanji panted, veering slightly and running into the rocky clearing. "Oi, marimo. What happened here?"

_What does it look like?_ I growled. _Bloody body, bloody rocks, do the math, shithead._

"Aren't you going to answer me?" Sanji continued.

_What the hell? _I yelled, waving my arms. _Can't you hear me?_

Apparently, he couldn't. Damn, being a ghost is a pain in the ass. I could only watch as Sanji roughly grabbed my body's shoulder. It lost its firm stance. Its arms unfolded and swung wildly as it collapsed, lying there lifelessly in a rising cloud of dust. _Careful with that!_ I yelled, but of course, no one was there to listen.

Sanji didn't seem to quite comprehend exactly what had happened. "O-oi, shithead!" No answer. "Hey, marimo!" Silence. "Zoro!"

I jumped. Since when had Sanji called me by name? The last time I had heard it felt like just back at the Baratie where we first met. Ridiculous. It was always 'marimo' or 'shithead.' He must really be shaken to the core.

Sanji didn't say anything for a while, only staring at my body's motionless form. He nudged its leg with his boot, and I couldn't help but smirk. By now the idiot had to realize my body would never react. As if on cue, realization dawned on him, and he stumbled back a few steps, shaking his head. "No. No…" he murmured.

_Yeah. _ I said, watching as the cook heaved a huge sigh and stepped forward again, grabbing my body's limp arm. He pulled it up over the back of his neck, ignoring the smear of blood, and wrapped his arm around its abdomen. With shaky steps, he began walking in the direction of the giant castle, and I followed.

My body's feet dragged in the dirt, and Sanji stumbled whenever they caught on a loose stone. I reached out to help, but my arm passed straight through them. The first time I tried this, my arm was wrist deep into Sanji's arm, and a tugging sensation pulled at my arm, and I yanked it back before it could do anything. I instinctively stepped around boulders and fallen logs, but after accidentally falling through a bush and having it pass right through me, I stopped dodging. Intangible.

Before long, I could see various people standing from the wreckage of the bomb, dusting themselves off and shouting out with joy at their survival. They rubbed their heads and fallowed Sanji's slow pace, my limp body slung over his shoulder.

A happy yell suddenly met my ears, and I immediately recognized the voice. I sighed in relief, glad the bear man had held up his end of the agreement. I ran ahead of the cook, standing on top of a huge boulder. I was afraid I would fall right through, but it seems if I didn't want to turn intangible, then I wouldn't.

Luffy was joyously leaping from foot to foot, clapping his hands above his head. Chopper scurried around, pleading with the captain to stop jumping and sit down for a proper examination. The rest of the crew stared at him in bewilderment; there was no way anyone could be moving as he did after being almost killed.

"Hey, check it out!" Luffy yelled with a huge grin. "My body feels great! What happened?"

"Liar! There's no way!" Usopp muttered. "Oi, Luffy, calm down. You shouldn't be moving!"

"Moving? He shouldn't even be conscious!" Chopper countered, trying to hold a stethoscope to Luffy's chest, but the ecstatic rubberman kept leaping, and Chopper continuously missed.

"Did he take so much damage that it canceled the pain and make him high?" Robin wondered aloud.

"No way, that can't happen." Chopper explained.

Nami looked over just in time to see Sanji appear, my body in tow. Her pupils shrank in horror, and she held a hand to her mouth. "Oh my god," she whispered.

Everyone, including the fat-lipped lady and her crew, stared in the direction Nami was staring. Luffy stopped jumping, the grin melting from his face. They stared in horror, watching as Sanji neared them. Whispered spread through the crowd, and I could only watch with sad eyes. Only Robin didn't seem to be staring at my body; she seemed to be looking right at me, but her eyes were squinted as if she couldn't quite see.

"Sanji," said Luffy slowly. "Why is Zoro hanging on you like that?"

My heart stopped beating for a moment. Did Luffy really not realize the density of the situation? Could he not put two and two together? For one, I would never allow myself to be supported by the dumb ero-cook. But I could see the gears turning, and the slow hypothesis forming.

"Because…" Sanji searched for an answer. "I don't know. I just found him like this."

"Set him down!" Chopper ordered, racing over in Heavy Point. Together, the two slowly lowered my body to a flat rock, where it just laid there limply, like a rag doll. The doctor immediately set his stethoscope to its bloody chest.

He moved it around to a few more spots, and he let out a horrid wail, taking a step back and shrinking to Brain Point. Tears beaded his eyes, and he tried to hold them back.

"Chopper! What's wrong?" Luffy cried.

Franky cocked his head, seeming to understand. "What's up, little reindeer-gorilla?"

"Ah!" said the skeleton. "I thought he was a moose."

"Zo-Zoro… Zoro is…" the tiny doctor tried to choke out the words.

Sanji finished it for him. "Zoro is dead."

Silence descended upon the entire area like their voice boxes had malfunctioned. I bit my lip, but crossed my arms to relieve the tension. Watching my nakama's faces suddenly contract into expressions of pure horror was unbearable. Nami started to cry, comforted by Robin. Sanji just looked downright pissed off, and Usopp just stood there. Franky started playing his stupid guitar, and Brook just stared without seeing.

Shit. Skull joke. That stupid skeleton was rubbing off, and we hadn't even known him for a full twenty four hours.

Luffy, however, was perhaps the worst of all. He was a mix between upset, stunned, angry, and ignorant at the same time. He wouldn't accept it. He shook his head rapidly, holding his hands to his ears. No, he wouldn't accept it. I curved my lips into a sad smile. At least I was the only one. No, better me than Luffy.

"You know," Robin broke the silence, rubbing Nami's back as she cried into the older woman's shoulder. "I read a book about death once."

"No offense, Nico Robin," said Franky, strumming a depressing note. "But this isn't the best time. No. It's not a super time at all to be recommending books."

"No, but listen. This was a special book."

"A special book?" Chopper sniffed.

Luffy just stared at my body, head lolled to the side with a permanent scowl. At least that had stayed there. I could tell he was listening, even if the others couldn't comprehend.

Robin nodded. "A very special book. It tells of a Legend on Myth Island."

"Myth Island?" said Sanji skeptically. "It doesn't sound very trustworthy."

Robin smiled sadly. "Probably not. But a legend is better than nothing."

"What are you saying, Robin?" Usopp queried.

"This legend tells of a Resurrection ceremony," she explained. "I don't remember it right now; we'll have to go back to the ship."

"Let us help," said Fat Lipped Lola, stepping forward with two of her subordinates. "We must honor the fallen hero who helped save us."

Fallen hero. I could live with that. Wait, I was dead.

Shit. Another skull joke.

Luffy nodded numbly, and thirty minutes later, my still bloody body had been laid on a makeshift stretcher, fashioned from two huge branches and a large piece of cloth ripped from the giant sail. Chopper and Sanji supported the branches, walking slowly away from the scene. The rest of the pirates followed suit, their heads bowed. Nami hugged my katana to her chest.

The Straw Hats surrounded me, occasionally glancing hopefully down at my body as if I would suddenly sit up and yawn. No, that wouldn't happen this time. I followed near the back of the Straw Hat group, where Robin was trailing behind. She seemed lost in thought, her eyes staring unemotionally forward.

Damn woman. Couldn't she show just a little compassion? Not that I was enjoying having myself fawned over, but still, we were nakama. She couldn't show just a sliver of remorse, could she? But despite this, I still detected a bit of a hunch in her shoulder, and her head hung a bit lower than usual, and I could tell she was upset.

We arrived back at the ship. Sanji and Chopper took my body into the Crow's Nest, laying among my various exercise equipment, Chopper with my swords tucked carefully under his arm. I didn't follow. First off, because I didn't know if I could climb, and second because I wanted to hear what Robin had to say about this Legend.

We all sat silently in the grass, not meeting gazes. Nami didn't even seem to register the massive pile of gold and treasure sitting on deck, which is how I knew _exactly_ how dire the situation was. Luffy perhaps seemed the most distant of all; he moved away from the others, nibbling half-heartedly on a piece of cheese. I followed him as he moved into the kitchen, and laughed to myself as he instinctively opened the fridge for a hunk of meat.

He held it as he sat at the table, just staring at it. That was how I knew how _extremely _this was hitting my captain. I had been his first crew mate, his first nakama. We started the Straw Hat pirates together, and now our journeys together were at an end. I would have cried myself had I not sworn never to show any such weaknesses again.

"I found it," called Robin from outside, and Luffy and I exited the kitchen to listen. The Straw Hats and other various Lola Pirates had gathered in a circle around the archaeologist, and the first thing I thought of was how normal she looked with that worn book in her hands. It made the situation that much more… damn, no word for it.

"Tell us, Robin," Chopper sobbed. "What does it say?"

Robin flipped through the pages, finally coming to a stop and reading aloud. "_If a man dies in the honor of another, bring that man to the highest temple on the highest mountain and lay his body in the River Chai. Should that man been in love with a woman in his life, said woman should revive him within the waters as the sun rises. Should this occur, the man whose life was lost shall be returned the World of the Living."_

Silence. It took me a second to register it, but when I did, it just stunned me. _Been in love? _I asked myself. _Love just dulls the blade._

Sanji seemed to think the same. Despite his depressed/pissed off expression he snorted out a laugh. "Marimo? _In love?"_

"That's what it says," said Robin plainly, and I detected a flush on her cheeks, but I may have just imagined it.

"But it's only a legend," Nami pointed out. "Besides, we don't even know where this Myth Island is."

"Coordinates are in the book," Robin explained. "Whoever the author is must have known someone might want to resurrect a lost loved one."

"Yosh!" Luffy suddenly seemed to regain a bit of his composure. "Set sail for Myth Island!"

The Lola Pirates cheered. "You can do it, Mugiwara!" They yelled triumphantly.

"However," Robin interrupted, and dead silence fell on the crowd. _Shit. Skull joke._ "There's a catch."

"What's up, Nico Robin?" Franky asked.

"Yeah, stop ruining the mood!" Usopp muttered.

"_Such a ritual should be completed within forty-eight hours of the man's death."_

Again, silence. I could tell immediately what everyone else was thinking. _How long had it been since I died? _Hell, I didn't know. It could have been seconds before being found, or hours. No one knew how long it had been. But still, even now they were wasting time.

Luffy realized this first. "We sail!" he yelled, jerking everyone into motion. "We're going to get Zoro back!"

"Aye!"

I watched the ensuing chaos. It was funny, really. Usopp had to climb to the rigging with Sanji to lower the sails, which was usually my job, and everyone instinctively lifted their legs higher as if to avoid my slumbering form. The Lola pirates tried to help out as much as they could, but only seemed to get in the way. Lola only had time to give Nami a weird paper before being quite literally booted from the deck by Franky, along with the rest of her crew. Nami stuffed the paper in her pocket and set the coordinates for Myth Island.

"Ah, Luffy-san?" Brook asked as Luffy ran past him.

Luffy jogged in place, staring up at the skeleton. "Hm?"

"I know this is sudden, but ah, may I join your crew?"

"Of course!" said Luffy hurriedly. "You already where!" With that being said, he sped off to continue whatever he had been doing.

Brook just stood there, looking elated. "Yohoho. Thank you, Luffy-san."

"Have a good trip, Straw Hats!" The Lola pirates yelled, waving their hands. "Bring back Zoro-san! Bring back the fallen hero!" "Do your best!" "Thank you for saving us!"

I stood at the railing, watching the other pirates fade as the Thriller Bark land ship faded to a speck behind us. With a hesitant grip, I placed a hand on the rail, and it did not turn intangible. Smiling with relief, I gripped the rail and watched the water, breathing in deeply. I could still smell the ocean, and it calmed me a bit.

Someone walked up behind me. I take that back. Someone walked _through _me. It was a hot feeling, like I'd been submerged in a boiling tub of water. I felt that tugging again, only this time, it was in my whole body, and I didn't have any chance to resist before I was pulled… I don't know exactly where.

But suddenly, I was looking out at the ocean, normally. I could see. But out of the corner of my eye, I could tell my skin wasn't glowing green anymore. My arms were normal. Well, not really. They were long and slender, with manicured nails. My chest felt a bit heavy, and I figured, with growing dread, I had been sucked into one of the girls.

Wow, that sounds really perverted. Damn. I mean, like, I had kind of… _entered_? No… _possessed?_ Maybe. _Overshadow?_ Yeah, I guess that could work. I had overshadowed someone, sharing their body and mind so I saw what they could see.

So now I was in one of the girls. I couldn't tell which one; her mind was so alien and secretive. I couldn't penetrate it at all, and when I tried, I was only met by a strong force propelling me back. This had to be Robin. Nami wouldn't keep her mind so enclosed like this. But there was something off; I was a part of her, and I could tell how she was feeling. _Distraught_ might be the right word, but calm at the same time.

"Robin!" Luffy's voice called, and my vision suddenly shifted from the ocean to the captain, who stood in the center of the deck along with the rest of the crew. My conclusion had been correct. As Robin began to walk forward, I stayed behind, suddenly finding myself watching the archaeologist's retreating back. So I could only overshadow while the living subject was immobile. Interesting.

"Yes?" Robin asked quietly, and I walked forward to join them.

"We're going to… uhm…"

"Say a few words," Nami whispered. "You know… Zoro was our nakama, and now… well. By my estimate, it'll take a few hours to reach Myth Island from where we are now, if we throw in a Coup de Burst or two…"

"No cola." Franky interrupted solemnly. "Those damn zombies must have taken it all."

"Well, we'll push Sunny to her limit, then," Nami growled. "But we need to just occupy our time. And we have a lot of it, and we didn't get a chance to say anything in our rush…"

"I understand," Robin raised a hand, smiling softly. "Say no more."

"I wanna go first!" Luffy yelled, raising his hand.

The Straw Hats parted, making way for Luffy to stand at the base of the main mast, staring up at the crows nest where my body lay. I was curious to see what each of my nakama would say. I followed Luffy up the rungs, hoping I wouldn't fall intangibly through them. I was a bit surprised that Luffy didn't rocket himself up there; I guess he was trying to be normal for once.

Luffy pushed open the trap door, emerging into the spacious room I had occupied practically every night while on watch. My body lay in the center of the room, hands folded over my Wado Ichimonji, while Shusui and Kietsu lay on either side. Chopper had probably bandaged it up while the others had prepared to sail, because my body was scrubbed clean and fresh white strips covered me practically from head to toe. I had heard him say once that dead men don't bleed. I guess he hoped that by some miracle I was resurrected, I would immediately begin to bleed once again.

Luffy situated himself on the floor, sitting cross-legged by my head. I sat opposite him on the other side, listening intently for him to begin.

**I think this is a pretty decent start, don't you think? The other Straw Hats' words will be in the nest chapters probably not to come for a while. But I'm glad I finally updated this. You loved the prologue so much, and I had to humor you.**

**I think writing from a ghost's perspective is pretty unique, you know? It was kind of hard though with all the "my body"s. I had half a mind to just call the body 'Zoro' and when referring to himself as a ghost, use 'I' but then it got confusing for me. So I called it It. Huzzah.**

**Anyway, please review. You know how much that means to me.**

**Coming Up: Chapter 3 - Rendered Helpless**


	3. Rendered Helpless

**My brain is about to implode from the sheer vastness of homework and other personal occurrences in my life that hinder me from writing, much less posting new chapters. It is a hugely messed up world I live in, and only through ignoring my English teacher's explanations about her stepsons and writing frantically in shorthand and typing it up at 11:00 at night can I finally get things done. *deep sigh***

**This chapter encompasses Luffy and Sanji's laments. Originally it was only Luffy but I couldn't think of how to make it exceptionally longer. I didn't review this before posting, so please, tell me what you think. Reviews greatly appreciated.**

**Review Corner:**

**willoffire123 – **It has to be sad so there is a REALLY happy ending at the conclusion! It keeps the suspense going! And I'm really glad you can't stop; it means a lot. (Ahem!) WAAAAAAAAAAH! I HATED KILLING ZORO BUT NOW WE GET TO HEAR WHAT EVERYONE SAYS! YEEEEEEEEAAAAH! I feel a little bit better now. :D

**rebecca taylor - **?

**Igreg01 – **I hope you enjoy what I have for you concerning Luffy and Sanji. If you have anything you'd like me to add, just let me know. :D

**zorobinfan **– I love this pair, too, so that's why I put this in. I'm glad you like it.

**DirectionallyChallengedKensh i – **ZORO IS THE KENSHI THAT IS DEAD! I AM THE AUTHOR WHO UPDATES AND WHO IS UBER HAPPY THAT YOU LOVE HER FIC!

**NinjaSheik – **Promising indeed. I hope you like the itty bitty foreshadowing I put near the midde. :D

**Jabrax13 – **I love Zoro and Robin together, they're both really similar in kind of thinking about the worst case scenario first, and all that similar things. And like I told Igreg, if you think of anything, please let me know. :)

Chapter 3 – Rendered Helpless

_"That's your burden as captain. Don't falter. If you do,  
__then who are we supposed to believe in?"  
__Roronoa Zoro_

It was quiet. Really quiet.

Not that I was complaining. I like the quiet, listening to the waves lap against the side of the ship as I keep watch, squinting as moonlight glinted off the blade of my katana and illuminating the room like a light. I liked watching the stars, though I would never admit it. I liked to think that Kuina was up there, supervising my progress and guiding me. I suppose I'll join her soon enough.

The silence was broken by a weird sound escaping Luffy's throat; a sort of like a frog being compressed under two ton elephants. I had only ever seen him once before like this, at Water 7 after his and Usopp's duel. His head was bowed and the shadow of his hat masked his eyes. His muscles were tense and his shoulder shook as he struggled to maintain his composure. He wasn't doing too well. He looked like a lost child, helpless in a huge world surrounded by strangers and not knowing where to find his mother, but trying to be a man about it.

"Zoro," he finally said, and despite the situation, I choked back a laugh. His voice sounded like a mixture between a toad with a frog in its throat and one of Usopp's ballads about himself.

I couldn't bring myself to look at his face. I didn't like seeing my nakama cry, especially Luffy. This bonehead was the one I knew the best, and he was, though I hated to admit it, like a brother I guess. And I don't know any big brother who can watch their younger one cry. Even if they're not blood related.

"I don't believe you're dead," Luffy continued, not bothering to wipe away the silent tears now sliding down his cheek. "I won't accept it." His face brightened. "I'll give you some of my meat if you wake up."

_That sounds really inviting,_ I said. _But thanks; you keep it._

When nothing happened, Luffy shrank back into his depressed self. "I don't want to continue to Raftel without you; we're nakama, and nakama don't leave anyone behind. We stick by each other no matter what. And now… I can't figure out if I do want to go on." He smiled weakly. "But I know you would probably kick my ass if I didn't continue."

I closed my mouth mid sentence. Damn straight he would continue on the Grand Line. If this Legend turns out to be nothing but a load of bullshit and I stay dead forever, I sure as hell do _not_ want to have died for Luffy only to have him give up.

Luffy took his time, talking about how stupid I was and laughing half-heartedly at all the memories we made. (_"Remember Whisky Peak when I tried to kill you for slaughtering the people there? That was fun.")_ He recalled when we first met back in the East Blue, and wondered aloud how Coby was doing. (_"Coby was such a crybaby then… at least we got to see him again. I wonder where he is now. Do you remember who that blonde guy was?"_) He talked about that one island where all our memories were stolen and how I was stupid enough to get hypnotized into trying to kill him. _("That was really stupid of you to get taken advantage of, Zoro. But it was still kind of awesome at the same time.")_

At one point, Luffy leaned over my face and pulled apart one of my eyelids as if checking for the millionth time if I really was sleeping. It was an eerie sight, looking at my own dead eyes. No sign of life glowed in my dilated pupils, staring up at nothing. Luffy sighed and sat back again, my eyelid sliding closed.

A thought suddenly occurred to me. If I could overshadow (I was careful to remember to use that word; _sucked_ still sounds perverted) living people by touching them, could it be simple enough that all I had to do was touch my body and I would be restored? But it was too easy; there was no way it could be so straightforward. I didn't want to look like an idiot if that was the case, but I couldn't just let my nakama suffer like this if it was that simple. Still, a part of me refrained from attempting. As much as I wanted to resurrect myself and return to the world of the living, I wanted to know what each of my crewmates would say about me when they thought no one was listening. So I didn't.

I moved to sit on a bench directly across from my lamenting captain, looking out the window and watched the other crewmembers gathered in a small circle on the lawn, picking at the grass and talking. The two women had diverted themselves from the group and were talking animatedly. Nami waved her hands wildly and indicated the paper that Robin was taking notes on.

"Ah, what's that?"

I turned and froze, my invisible face an inch away from Luffy's. Without my noticing, he had snuck up on me and had leaned across the bench to get right in my face. I knew I shouldn't be worried; the worst that could happen is that I would overshadow him, and it would be broken once he moved away, but the rubber man's eyes were locked on mine like he could actually see me, and it sent a shiver down my spine.

Moving slowly, I skirted around him until I had maneuvered my way completely around him and was standing behind him, breathing unnecessarily hard. Luffy's eyes had followed me, but he stayed put, turning to face me like he really could see me. His eyes narrowed, and he opened his mouth to speak.

"Is that - ?"

"Oi, Luffy!" a voice yelled, and someone banged on the door. "We need to talk about something." Luffy opened the door and Usopp was revealed through the hatch, his eyes bloodshot from tears. "We've been talking and there's things we need to discuss."

"What about?"

"I don't know. Nami sent me to get you."

Luffy nodded. Casting one forlorn look back at me, which still _really_ creeped me out, he followed Usopp down the ladder. After a moment, I followed, sliding right through the floor to materialize on the rungs leading down to the main deck. I went slowly, and as I came, the conversation my nakama were having slowly materialized.

"We've been thinking," Nami was saying to Luffy as he approached. "We as in Robin and I. Even if we get to Myth Island under the time limit, we don't have anyone on this ship besides Robin and I who Zoro could possibly have been in love with. We've compiled a list of the girls we've come across that could possibly have been candidates, but…"

I looked over her shoulder. _Kaya _(I knew her for what, ten minutes?)_, Vivi _(Pretty, but too whiney and weak)_, Alvida _(Who is that, anyway?)_, Lola _(I choked on a nonexistent breath)_, Nojiko _(Nami's sister?)_, Kalifa _(I recoiled at that one), _Kokoro-baasaan _(I resisted the urge to throw up) and several others who the girls had come up with, including their own names near the end.

Sanji made awkward faces with each name, like he couldn't believe I would be stupid enough to fall for even one woman. I'm not denying masculine hormones or anything, but I'm seriously just not interested in women. So what the hell was I going to do?

"And we were thinking, too," Franky interjected, and all eyes turned to the shipwright. "The riddle also said that Zoro-bro had to die in the honor of someone else. So who?"

Silence. Sanji looked uncomfortable, his eyes unreadable. Brook looked really weird too, staring at the ero-cook like he was sympathetic. Everyone else was ultimately confused. They slowly began murmuring among themselves.

"I think I'll go say words now," Sanji finally interrupted, raising his hand slightly.

After receiving a nod from Luffy, Sanji ascended to the crow's nest, and I followed. He started out much like Luffy, just sitting and staring. His eyes were distant, but really pissed off, and I smirked. The guy looked so pitiful; if I ever get resurrected, I'm _so_ going to hold it against him.

"You asshole," was the first thing he said, and I was expecting that. "You just had to go and die, didn't you? You had to go and be the hero, sacrificing yourself for all our shitty sakes."

He stood and began pacing the room, chomping on his cigarette. After a minute, all the sudden anger rage subsided and he stared forlornly at my body. "I'm not going to tell anyone," he said. "About the whole thing, I mean. You have your own honor to uphold, even in death." He looked out the window. "Imagine what the rest of them would say if they ever found out. Even though I don't know exactly what happened, exactly how it went down, but I do know that it's not worth sharing when your pride is on the line.

"You just piss me off so much. The first time I met you I just hated your guts and I had no idea why. But now that I think about it, I think it was because you decided to fight Mihawk. You were prepared to die for your dream, but in contrast I was ready to die for Zeff's, defending the Baratie. You just paid attention to your own little motives and didn't account for the other people you would leave behind if you did. So self-centered. So get back here so I can kick your ass officially.

"And how dare you leave the ladies. Luffy's an idiot, Usopp's a coward, Chopper's a reindeer, and Franky is too old. That leaves me to tend to their needs, and even though you didn't even realize it, you made each day interestingly boring. So congrats; Robin really enjoyed your company."  
Robin? My company? The damn woman didn't even look at me except when she needed something, and even then it was something stupid like rubbing lotion on her back or fetching a book from the library.

"I suppose that after all that shitty lovey-dovey crap, and we finally hit the Grand Line… I guess I…" His expression revealed him as humiliated. "I see you as… a brother I never had."

I cocked my head, confusion exploding in my mind. A _brother? _Since when? I hate his guts, his so damn annoying, and I hate his overprotective nature, especially of Robin and Nami. If I learned one thing from Kuina, it's that women don't need protecting, and they hate it when they are implied to be weak.

But if I thought about it, too, we did seem to have a fairly reasonable relationship, not one unlike brotherhood. Though we annoyed each other, we work well as a team, and we do have the same basic ideals, even if our methods are a bit different. And now that he has promised not to reveal my cause of death, I feel a bit indebted to him. I hate this; I'll have to find a way to repay him eventually.

There was suddenly a soft rap at the door, and Sanji answered it. The newest edition to our crew, the skeletal musician Brook, appeared on the other side. His skull was still cracked from his battle with Ryuuma, but his precious afro was still intact. "May I enter, Sanji-san?" he queried, and the cook nodded. The door was opened wider and the two men sat crosslegged on either side of my immobile form.

"I just want to say that I saw your valiant act," Brook said after a minute of silence. "It truly affected me, and I believe it to be honorable."

Sanji didn't say anything, but let out a puff of smoke and watched it dissipate into the air. "It wasn't honorable," he said. "I was just trying to save a useless marimo."

Brook shook his head. "I disagree. You may not realize it, but you and Zoro are actually very much alike in your stubbornness and loyalty. Both of you were willing to throw away your lives for the sake of your captain, and I find that says a lot about Luffy himself. He has a knack for knowing the best people to have on his crew."

"Brook, what happened while I was unconscious?" Sanji asked suddenly, and Brook complied. The skeleton talked about how he had gained consciousness as I had launched my _Shi Shi Son Son_ on the Schibukai. He talked in admiration at my first request to replace my head for Luffy's. Sanji entered the picture then, offering his own head as well. And then his voice took on a more weary tone as he described the effects of the giant ball of pain I had endured, which had eventually claimed my life.

Sanji didn't interrupt through the entire story, and I was amazed at how detailed the musician was. When the story was over, the cook breathed a ring of smoke. "That explains why Luffy is lively as ever, and Zoro is dead," he said. "I had assumed he would just be taken prisoner for public execution, but this..."

Brook smiled sadly. "Loyalty is a man's best quality," he said. "I can only imagine the vast amount the Straw Hat crew must possess in order to be a part of Luffy's life."

Sanji grunted out a laugh. "I suppose," he said. "But that says a lot about you, too. Luffy's been hell-bent on a musician since we hit the Grand Line, and you must be something if you're the chosen one."

"I'm just a bag of old bones."

"And that's a part of it." Sanji smiled. "A half-naked cyborg, a reindeer, four people with Devil Fruits, a man with a freakishly-long nose, me with a curly-eyebrow, and a green-headed guy, all crazy enough to break into Enies Lobby for one nakama. _Nami-san is perfect and has no flaws~! _You fit in just fine."

"Yohohoho," Brook said softly. "Thank you, Sanji-san."

The two men sat in silence for a long time again, and I squinted at Brook cautiously. He had revealed he knew about my sacrifice and the events leading up to it, and those after. He hadn't said anything about not saying anything, and I did _not_ want the crew to know what I had died for. They would never forgive me, especially Luffy. If I knew my captain, he would never let someone die for his sake, even if his own death was imminent.

The deep moment was suddenly interrupted by a crash down below. Brook, Sanji and I rushed to the window; Luffy was buried in a pile of dishes and pans, tumbling out of the kitchen and earning him a nice-sized bruise on the head via Nami's fist.

"Damn rubber bastard!" Sanji growled, wrenching open the door and clambering down the rungs. Upon hitting the deck, the blonde proceeded to strike the captain and tell him off. Brook chuckled and returned to the center of the room, his empty eye sockets stared at my immobile body, his face-less expression unreadable.

"Although I have know you a very short time," he said. "I want to thank you again for retrieving my shadow. And, I also saw what happened; your sacrifice was most noble, and I won't tell anyone, not unless you want me to. And I know this endeavor will pay off, so…"

He looked straight at me, his sockets meeting my eyes and that same feeling ran down my spine as to when Luffy had found me. I suppose Brook had an excuse, already having died once and probably have left a piece of himself in the afterlife. "Unless you tell me, I won't open my lips. Even though I don't have lips, yohohoho."

He stood again and crossed to the door, stepping out onto the rungs and closing the room. Very slowly, the old skeleton descended to the main deck, where Luffy looked like he'd had a run in with a lawn mower. I didn't follow, rather sitting on a bench and folding my hands behind my head. Deep sentiments so far, and I honestly am enjoying this, having people talk about me. Even if it's not in the exact form I imagined… it's still my name.

I was grateful that Brook had promised to not reveal my cause of death. He must know something about honor in death, being dead himself. But that must have something to do with the possibility of his being able to see me, just like Luffy. I suspected it was the strong bond between the captain and I that allowed him to see me; what little there was left anyway. Judging by his questioning eyes, I must only be a greenish blur or tint in the air.

I didn't dwell on that mystery for long, because I was focused on Brook and Sanji's sentiments. I was most bothered about the ero-cook's revealing of Robin's enjoying of my company, whatever he meant by that. Still, despite my curiosity, I was too mentally exhausted to think about it. The sun was still high, but I still felt that I had to at least rest my eyes; I had a feeling if I fell asleep, I legit would not wake up, legend or no.

A flicker of movement caught my vision, and my instincts roused me into action. I reached automatically for my katana, standing in a defensive position to ward off any attack. However, I was surprised to see a single petal float to the ground and come to rest on the back of my hand. My body, that is. I narrowed my eyes. It was the type of flower that woman's limbs turn into when they disappear. I swear, if she was eavesdropping, I am going to... ah, shit. I don't know what I would do, but I would do something, count on that.

I settled back down on the sofa, lying with my back against the soft cushions with my hands behind my head. I could hear shouts of Luffy and Sanji down below as they brawled, Nami yelling at them to shut up in the background. I smirked. Even with me gone, the crew never changes. My muscles had just begun to relax when a sensation filled me, and I had the weirdest inkling something was about to go horribly, horribly wrong. I sat up again and looked through the window, the giant sail bearing our mark fill with a plump wind. Everything seemed normal, and I couldn't shake the feeling…

And that was when the sail suddenly laid flat, the gust gone, the wind vanished, the ship immobile, while still the clock ticks.

**No, it's not the Calm Belt, but you know the Grand Line; it's unpredictable.**

**Unpredictable just like this story! So please, tell me what you think! Reviews greatly appreciated. If you think of something Luffy or Sanji could have said, then please let me know and I'll add it ASAP. :D**

**Coming Up: Obligations to Fulfill**


	4. Obligations to Fulfill

**Compared to my other chapters, this one is considerably short. For this, I am sorry. But I didn't really have anything else to put into it, so I did what needed doing, and that was disappoint my beloved readers. Thank you all for following me thus far! Very much appreciated!**

**I also should tell you right about now: I've planted a puzzle somewhere in this story. I won't tell you what it is, but if you find it before the end of the story, then you'll get a special reward. :D**

**There have been some additions to chapter 3 that will play a role in future chapters, so if you could skim that, it'd be great. Thanks!**

**Review Corner:**

**Portgas D. Paula – **Thank you so much for your encouragement! I hope it sparks your enthusiasm even more this chapter.

**rebecca taylor – **It warms my heart to know that some people really do appreciate the hard work I put into everything, enough that it's lovable. Hopefully it'll get even better.

**Igreg01 **– 'In character' is my motto. I hate writing people OOC, except when it's one hundred percent necessary. And don't worry, nothing remotely horrible is going to happen to our favorite swordsman. I won't reveal anything about Brook and Luffy's being able to see Zoro, but it will all be revealed *puffs out chest and yells with enthusiasm like a superhero* EVENTUALLY!

**Jabrax13 **– Luffy will be in denial if any one of his nakama dies. The only exception I would see is Ace, but that hasn't happened yet when this story takes place, so it's invalid. Sanji and Zoro are described as feuding brothers, and they have their moments together. That was one of them. As for the suspicion… it deepens this chapter, so I hope it appeases you.

**NinjaSheik **– Moments from my other stories… I'll have to read back and check, it didn't even occur to me to make those references. But I'm glad that you love it so much, and thanks for being patient with my school life. Although the ZoRo doesn't progress _as much_ in this chapter, there's subtext, and as you know, I love subtext. :D

**Arashi-Storm-Guardian**_** – **_First, _love_ your username. Sugoi! Anyway, it's good to know I can write decent summaries and prologues. I know what you mean as well; I tend to not review long stories I'm just starting out on until the most recent chapter, so no harm done there. It's a curious thought that occurred to me in the second chapter, about being able to see him, but originally it was just Luffy. Then Robin and Brook kind of just joined in. The reasoning behind it will be revealed sometime soon. And OH, the Grand Line! The worst thing that can happen happens. Fate is not kind to our Straw Hats, especially in this chapter. Keep up the enthusiasm, and I hope you enjoy!

**Nami Swannn **– Positive behavior is what keeps the story motivated. If it's too depressing all the time, then it gets boring and there's no story. So I'm glad you think that. Thanks for your review!

**000000000000000000000Zero000 00 **– Sorry, no chance of that, but it will be somewhat like that. *imagines faces and hyperventilates from laughter*

**Natylol **– All in due time, m'lady, all in due time! And I'm almost done Beta-reading your chapter, so it should be coming back to you soon!

**And with that, please enjoy the next chapter of the Stuff of Legends! :D**

Chapter 4 – Obligations to Fulfill

_"I don't know. I'm not sure why myself. But if I were take even  
one step back, I believe that all those important oaths,  
promises and many other deals 'til now, will all go to  
waste and I'll never be able to return before you, ever again."  
__Roronoa Zoro_

"Nami, what's going on!?"

"The wind just stopped for some reason!"

The Straw Hats scrambled around the deck, hands waving in panic as they tried to fathom the sudden loss of locomotion. I stood to the side, a little panicky myself. With the wind gone, the ship wasn't going anywhere, and we were stuck still in the middle of the Florian Triangle. I figured we still had a long way to go until we actually reached Myth Island.

"Everyone calm down," Sanji tried to take a hold of the situation, and was not succeeding. Luffy, Usopp, Chopper and Brook raced in circles, screaming obnoxiously, while Franky just stared at the empty sail like he couldn't believe his eyes. Robin looked thoughtful, as if trying to calculate how long until they starved to death. Nami looked ready to explode.

"No cola," she growled. "Which means no Channel 0. No wind, no moving. This is the worst possible situation. FRANKY!"

The blue-haired shipwright looked over, his expression a mix between angry and sad. "What's up, Nami-sis?"

"We need cola for the Paddle Sunny, right?" He nodded. "But we can still use the other Channels."

Another nod. "They should be pre-stocked with fuel."

"I think I understand, Miss Navigator," Robin piped up from where she stood. Limbs sprouted from the deck and stopped the raging captain, sharpshooter, doctor and musician in their tracks, fingers raised to their mouths to silence them. "Listen to Nami, please."

"Do you have a plan, Nami-san?" Sanji asked, struggling to hide the excitement in his voice. I caught it, though, and cracked a small smile. _Blackmail._

"Sanji, Brook," Nami immediately began issuing orders. "Release the Shark Submerge Mini Merry and find a grappling hook. Connect the ship to the sub and pull it along behind. Meanwhile, everyone else, grab oars and start rowing!"

"Hai, Nami-san!"

Franky directed the cook and musician to where they might find rope in the storage rooms, and the two men disappeared. Oars were gathered, and flung over the side of the ship as Nami changed the Channel Dock System to the corresponding levers. A few moments passed, and the dark shape of the Shark Submerge appeared in the water. Another minute, and Brook rolled out on the Merry, struggling to figure out how to work it. The rope was wrapped around Sunny's figurehead, and the ship slowly began moving.

The oars barely reached the water, but that did not deter the Straw Hat crew. Luffy took his own and rowed back and forth with his monstrous strength. I couldn't help but smile; all the pain had left his body. It was like he had just woken fresh from a nap and chowed down on meat. Robin sprouted limbs and took two paddles for herself. Chopper and Usopp also took a single one for each, with a few helping hands courtesy of the Hana Hana no mi, and Nami was left to work with Franky.

The Sunny cut slowly through the water, but it was moving all the same. I walked between the ranks, wishing with the most deepest desire of my heart I could help them. Nami's face was sweaty, and she sucked her thumb where she had been stabbed by a splinter. Franky put most of the effort into the rowing, but he looked weary too, like he'd never had to row a huge ship before, or at least he hadn't done it in a long time. Usopp's face was a mask of determination, even as his arms shook with the tension of one oar to himself, even if he had Robin's help. Chopper in his Heavy Point seemed to be fairing reasonably well. Robin sat with the book in her hands, her eyes scanning the myth with a knowing gaze as her hands moved with the rhythm of her nakama. Luffy ignored all around him, his eyes fixated on the horizon in front of him. But as I moved in front of him, I could feel that eerie aura of his eyes following me, and it chilled me.

This continued for maybe an hour, during which time I made myself comfortable in my usual spot, watching the progress of my nakama. Luffy continuously glanced back, lurching back forward when someone looked his way. Robin's gaze drifted toward me as well, but she might only have been drowning in nostalgia, remembering where I could always be found. Finally, Usopp's arms gave out, and he slumped down the deck, his arms shaking and his chest heaving. Immediately, ten new limbs took his place, and Robin took the strain of three oars.

"I'm sorry," Usopp heaved. "I can't do anymore."

"We understand," Robin said, her own voice sounding thin with weariness. "Go say your words to Zoro."

My name jolted me into motion, and I stood up to follow the sharpshooter up to the crow's nest where my body lay. Usopp curled up on the bench, not able to look at it.

"I'm going to make this really fast," he said. "But I never really thanked you for helping my save Kaya back in the East Blue. You didn't have to help me; not you, not Luffy, and not Nami. But you did anyway; you stopped Kuro. And now looking back, all those guys were child's play compared to some of the stronger people here in the Grand Line, who will in turn be weaker than the New World."

Usopp wiped a tear from his eyes. "Thank you. I really looked up to you, ya know. You were the strongest, most badass guy in the world, and that was exactly who I wanted to be. We've had our tough times, like Water 7, but we all came together in the end, and that's what really counts.

"Just come back and give me something else to look up to. Zoro, the guy who just can't seem to die. He dies and just comes back to life again. Zoro, so indestructible, Hell spits him back out every time. _That's who I want to be._ Strong, brave, respected._"_

The long-nosed man was silent for a few minutes, and I took this opportunity to dwell on his words. An idol, huh? I didn't see myself like that, but then again, I wasn't the most open book in the universe. But still, it was nice to be looked up to like a… god dammit, a _fatherly figure._ The first thing that came to my mind just so happened to be a _father._ I sure as hell was not ready for that.

Usopp started talking again, just relaying various memories and comments. He made fun of my perfect sense of direction, and did just as Luffy had done, poking at my recklessness and idiocy. And I'll admit it; it was kind of funny how he looked at it. He mentioned saving my ass at varying points on our voyage, and I scoffed. _He_ was the one who handcuffed us together, thank you very much.

"Usopp!" a voice yelled, and we both looked down at the deck where Nami was waving her hand to get his attention. When she noticed him, she beckoned for him to come down again.

We hit the deck, and the sniper joined Nami at her oar. The navigator was dripping sweat, dark patches on her ripped Thriller Bark T-shirt. Her arms shook, but her tempo did not cease. "Keep rowing," she said. "Let Chopper go now."

I looked over. Chopper had move to Brain Point and had left his oar dragging the water as he panted for breath. Franky had taken over for him, his large hands rowing effortlessly. I felt a twang of sympathy for the little doctor. The little guy didn't have hardly any stamina, but the endurance he did have was resilient.

Usopp took over his oar again, and Robin's limbs disappeared in a puff of petals, only to reappear again on Nami's paddle. The reindeer clambered up to the crow's nest, and as I had with the other five members of the crew, I followed him up.

Up and down, up and down. It was starting to be a bit irksome, but I still wanted to be a part of my crew even for a little while longer, especially if this legend was bullshit.

Chopper wasted no time bursting into fresh tears as he picked at the slightly red bandages wrapped carefully around my body's arms. "Zoro," he whispered. "Why'd you go? You're always there to protect me, always, and I _really, really, really _want you to come back. Come back so I can heal your wounds again.

"You're strong, Zoro. No matter how many times you get hurt, you're still strong as ever, and trust me, I know. I'm the one healing you all the damn time. I've seen first hand how bad things get for you, and I am confident there is no wound of yours I can't cure.

"Except for this one. I can't bring back the dead. I'm not demented like Hogback and Moriah, and I'm not insane enough to try and play with human life recklessly. But I'm counting on this ceremony to bring you back. And if you do, I promise never to let this happen again! I'll never let you, or any of our other nakama, die. Not like this."

I felt a ping in my heart. God dammit, being dead is making me soft. Just watching the little guy made me feel really angry at myself, like _Come on, Zoro, how dare you make Chopper cry!_ Still, he was being more or less a man about it, sobering up and wiping his nose, gobs of nasty snot clumping in his fur.

"Who would you be in love with, Zoro?" Chopper asked suddenly, his voice curious. "Nami? I can't really see that. You guys are more like bickering siblings than anything else. Robin?" He paused here. "It doesn't take a lot to realize when two people like each other, and they're the only two that don't notice." I grit my teeth. Robin and I? Seriously?

I was done listening to the doctor's lament, so I faded through the door (I was actually getting used this this by now; it's really handy) and joined the rest of my nakama down below. While Chopper and I had been up in the nest, Brook and Sanji had switched out with the women, and now Nami piloted the Mini Merry as Robin took over the submarine. Brook and Sanji each heaved the oars with all their might, the skeleton throwing in an occasional skull joke to unsuccessfully lighten the mood. Franky now had one oar to himself, and didn't seem to mind. A den den was perched on his shoulder and relayed messages from Nami in the sub back up to the shipwright.

There were very little conversations as the next hour passed. Chopper came down ten minutes after I did, and retook his post at the oar. Franky went up next, but I was too lazy to follow him up. He stayed up for about ten minutes, and when he returned to the deck, I overshadowed him and tapped into his memories, which I found was actually _very _cool.

"_Yo, Zoro-bro. I didn't know you for very long at all, and I don't know practically anything that you do about the crew, you being first mate and all, but I do know you kick some serious ass. And you have got some serious skill if you could take on Jabra and Kaku while handcuffed, and completely defeat the giraffe-man. You and your crew are just completely insane, and I guess I don't fall far from that tree. But still, we're like brothers, man, and I really wish you'd come back so we can get to know each other a little more. Okay?"_

Franky was never one to really elaborate from what I knew, so I wasn't expecting much from him in the first place, but it was still nice to know he cared. The man was skilled beyond his years, and he knew his place, but even he knew the Straw Hat Pirates weren't a crew; we're a family. God dammit, now I'm sounding gushy.

"Hey, Franky," Nami's voice came from the den den on his shoulder, and he rowed with one hand as he held the tiny snail to his face.

"What is it?"

"The sonar on the Shark Submerge is picking up a land mass about one hundred clicks to the northeast, in the direction the log pose is pointing. It may be Myth Island, so could you help turn the ship?"

"Sure thing," Franky said.

"What'd she say, Franky-san?" Brook asked from his oar.

"Nami says we're coming close to Myth Island," the shipwright reported. "About one hundred clicks northeast."

"Yosh!" Luffy shouted, and I started at the sound of his voice. I had almost forgotten the lound and ridiculously obnoxious captain was here. "Hard to port!"

"I'll get the wheel," Usopp said, and raced to the helm. The figurehead was already tilting to the left as Nami and Robin steered the tugboats in the correct direction. With combined efforts, soon the Sunny was carving a path through the waves toward Myth Island. My nakama seemed to have a spurt of adrenaline, because the ship seemed to move faster.

I found myself anticipating the arrival. As the many upsides being a ghost is, as in overshadowing and phasing through solids, I missed the benefits of being alive. Of feeling warmth, touch, taste. I could smell, but it wasn't the same. I couldn't enjoy it as well as I could if I had a live body to bask in.

Though I had been thinking about it as well. If this legend required me to have been in love, then the first female that came to my mind was Kuina. I didn't exactly _love_ love her, but she was my goal, and as a little kid, that counted as love to me. But Kuina is dead, so that would never work. And none of the women we'd met made any sort of romantic connection to me, except that marine woman Tashigi-something-or-other, but she doesn't count.

It had to be as Chopper said. Unconscious attraction, unrecognized affection. It was the mushy gushy stuff again, but it was really the only explanation I could think of. Which left Nami and Robin, the navigator and archaeologist, cartographer and historian.

I didn't have long to dwell on the subject, however, because my ghostly nose suddenly caught a waft of a scent that did not belong with the peaceful salty air. It was tangy and smoky, like someone lit a bonfire in the middle of the ocean. The smoke carried with the wind currents, swirling around the ship and clogging noses. Chopper held a hand to his strange blue nose.

"What is that horrible smell!?"

Franky realized a split second before I did. His pupils shrank as his eyes located the source of the scent.

Twelve ships had appeared on the horizon, each painted a dull sea-green with a white seagull emblazoned on the hull. Three cannons protruded from the front of the vessel, all trained on the lion ship. White sails were also flat against the mast, so twelve oars hit the water from either side of each ship, propelling it forward with greater speed than the Sunny. Printed on the white sail was a word that was possibly the worst thing that could happen right now.

"Marines," Sanji groaned. "Damn it."

**I am the worst author in the world, torturing the poor Straw Hats like this. I feel so cruel. But the suspense is going to kill you, am I right? Eh? Eh?**

**I'm not ship-savvy so I don't know which way is port side. If I got it wrong, please inform me!**

**Still, please review, and I promise I'll update as soon as my school schedule allows! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! And remember to keep a look out for that puzzle!**

**Coming Up: Chapter 5 - Xanadus**


	5. Xanadus

**Congratulations shadowangel9999 for correctly finding the puzzle on the first try! Yay!**

**Anyway, here is chapter five. I'm just spitting these out one after the other and I'm so excited to present this one to you! You all are probably going to hate me afterward, so I guess I might as well face my fate. Read, enjoy, review, but most of all, anticipate. :D**

**For those wondering, the term "xanadu" (plural xanadus) means "used to convey an impression of a place as unattainably luxurious or beautiful." That's some foreshadowing for ya. :D**

**Review Corner:**

**Natylol – **Naw, I didn't forget. I originally had him just say one sentence, but then I gave him a bit of a longer segment back in chapter 3. But you're right, he still doesn't say a lot.

**Jabrax13 – **It is ironic, isn't it? But still, there are plenty of people to row relatively quick, as long as the marines don't get in the way. And if you take a look in chapter 3, I had Brook tell Sanji what happened, and then Zoro found a disembodied ear. So yes, they do know. And as for the rest… in the infamous words of River Song: SPOILERS

**NinjaSheik – **I don't think I'm all that great at emotional stuff, but I'm glad you think so. Marines, marines, marines. Tsk tsk, meddling jerks. Oh, and as a side note, I convinced my dad to buy me one season of One Piece for every two months I keep my room clean. Weird, but effective. ;D I'm about half a month in the first session now. Staying strong!

**Nami Swannn – **Chopper! :'( Sweet little Chopper. Hopefully things will get better for him.

**Arashi-Storm-Guardian – **Marines do seem a little cliché, but an OC pirate crew would be interesting. Perhaps… nah. Time. Robin did loosen up a little bit, but I like how she referred to the crew as each separate profession. "Kenshi-san" "Cook-san" etc. But your reason works good too.

**Portgas D. Paula – **Yes marines, right now. And it'll get worse, much much worse.

**Guest – ***meme* Torture ALL the Straw Hats! :D

**armaani – **I decide just how far those marines' asses are kicked, am I right!? Hehe, great response. Thanks for the support, and here's the next update! Enjoy.

Chapter 5 – Xanadus

"_When the world shoves you around, you just gotta  
stand up and shove right back. It's not  
like somebody's gonna save you  
if you start babbling excuses."  
__Roronoa Zoro_

"Mugiwara no Ichimi!" A loud voice boomed through a bullhorn, its origin from the largest marine battleship in front of us. "Surrender now and we promise you are entitled to fair trial!"

The Sunny stopped moving as the crew dropped the oars and stood at the front of the deck, shoulder to shoulder, expressions tense and angry. Down below, the Shark Submerge surfaced, and the hatch opened to reveal Robin, looking curiously across the water. I joined my nakama, standing off the side so as to not distract from the main issue.

Luffy moved to stand on his signature spot at the lion's head, on hand gripping the mane for support. He swelled his chest with a huge breath. "No way!" he yelled back. "We're going to Myth Island to bring back Zoro! Don't get in our way!"

"Don't tell them that!" Nami, Usopp, and Sanji raged, but it was too late.

"Bring back Roronoa?" the marine replied. "Is he dead?"

"That's right, and if you stop me from bringing him back I'll kill all your asses singlehanded!"

There was silence on the other end, and I could practically see them laughing at the foolish pirates' attempts at resurrection. Luffy looked ready to explode with energy, bouncing on the balls of his feet like he didn't know what to do with himself. The Straw Hats remained silent as the marines spoke again.

"We'll let you go," he said. "If you give us Roronoa Zoro. Don't surrender, and we'll sink your ship!"

Luffy snapped. "Like hell!" he responded without a moment's hesitation. The rest of the crew joined in, screaming out protests and rants. Even Robin contributed, and I was surprised to see a new fire burning in her eyes, a passion to protect. A smile unconsciously pulled at my lips, and a laugh burst from my throat. We had done this same exact thing back when Bartholomew Kuma threatened us with a bomb in exchange for Luffy's head. I distinctly remember yelling "We refuse!" Robin's face had been passive as usual, even in the event her captain was threatened. If now, when the dead body of a lower-ranking nakama is in jeopardy, she protests…

"Very well," the marine spoke up again, cutting through the noise. "Prepare yourselves to die." The foremost ship fired its cannons, the iron spheres hurtling toward us at top speed.

Luffy leaped into the air, inflating himself into _Fuusen_ mode. The balls bounced off his body, redirected back at their owners, falling into the ocean with a massive fountain of seawater. The rubberman crashed back to the deck. "Nami! Robin!" he yelled. "Take Zoro and keep going to the island!"

"But – !" Nami began to argue, but Luffy cut her off with a look.

"You two are the only ones Zoro could have loved," Usopp said, catching on.

"So you two have to continue no matter what!" Luffy confirmed. "Let us deal with the navy."

More cannonballs were fired, and the Straw Hat crew instantly mobilized. The men leapt into action, deflecting the onslaught and preparing to board the oncoming marine ships. Franky was out of cola, so he couldn't be of much help, but he didn't seem interested in the attack. He stroked his chin, thinking hard as the other crewmembers raced around him as the marine ships drew closer. A light bulb might as well have flickered to life above his head, because he suddenly grinned and raced below deck.

"Cien Fleur!" came a cry from below. "_Wing!"_ Robin suddenly came flying from below, one hundred arms sprouting from her back and meshing together to form two massive wings, catching the light of a dying sun. I squinted, and as she floated in front of the rays, her form was backlit and made her seem to glow with an inner beauty.

_An angel? _I thought. _Am I finally getting a glimpse of heaven before I descend into hell?_

She continued on, and the light faded. I blinked the uncharacteristic thoughts from my mind and watched as Robin landed on the roof of the crow's nest and Nami finally scrambled on deck, her Climatact in hand. The navigator dodged one of Luffy's punches directed at an oncoming cannonball and yelled something up at the archaeologist. It was lost in the clamor of cannon fire, but I caught a disembodied ear vanish from her back. I smiled and watched as Robin opened the hatch on the roof and slipped inside, vanishing from view. Nami watched with anxiety, her fingers wrapped tightly around the steel blue of her weapon.

A minute passed, and nothing happened. I had half a mind to go up there and watch the goings on, when Nami suddenly went rigid, her pupils shrinking in horror as she slowly looked up at the darkening sky, the moon already rising into the black expanse. "Oh no," she whispered. "Oh please no."

"What is it, Nami?" Chopper asked, noticing her horrified expression.

She looked back at the doctor, her expression exposing her as terrified. "A cyclone is coming," she reported. "And a big one by the feel of the air temperature."

Chopper froze, his eyes bugging from his head almost in a comical fashion. "NANI!?" he screeched.

"Everyone!" Nami yelled to get her nakama's attention, but they were all too preoccupied with the fight to heed her words. She tried grabbing Usopp's arm as he ran past, but the sniper was too distracted to even register the noise. She glanced back up at the sky again, where dark clouds could be easily seen even against the night sky. The sea began to roll, and the wind picked up, carrying the Sunny forward and dragging the oars behind.

"Everyone, please!" Nami screamed. "Cyclone, right now!" She looked up just as rain finally began to fall. The sea grew wilder, swelling to heights as tall as twenty feet. Marines and pirates alike stopped to stare at the maelstrom that had snuck up on them. The wind roared in their ears, rain and hail lashing against exposed skin, soaking all unprotected bodies to the bone.

"Nami!"

A voice rose above the chaos; Robin had finally emerged from the crow's nest, her arm wrapped around my chest in what looked like an uncomfortable fashion. Her hair was plastered to her face the moment the door was opened, her eyes awaiting further instructions from the expert navigator.

Nami grunted as a huge gust of wind nearly blasted her off her feet. "Bring him down!" she yelled. "We'll go in the Shark Submerge; the Mini Merry is too dangerous!"

Robin didn't seem to hear, and strained to pick up the words torn to pieces by the wind. A huge wave suddenly crashed on deck, sending the crew rolling to the deck.

"Euuuughhhh." Luffy moaned as he was doused in seawater. "Nammiiiii…. Geeeeet gooooingggg…."

"Open fire!" ordered a voice, and the marines fired another volley. A projectile crashed into the ship, barely denting the wood but shoving the ship sideways into another marine vessel that had pulled up alongside the Sunny. With a yell, marine officers boarded the deck, and the Straw Hats were consumed.

Lightning flashed overhead, illuminating the sky for a split second and leaving even me dazed. I had trouble dodging flailing bodies; if I were overshadowed now, there would be less chance I would be able to follow Nami and Robin and my body, and I didn't want to know what would happen if body and spirit were separated.

Thunder rolled, crashing on our ears. More lightning, this time dangerously close. I found refuge on the rungs to the nest and wished desperately I could help Robin lug my body out of the hole in the ceiling and out on the slippery roof, all without falling. Despite having several arms latched on for extra support, with the torrents of rain and waves of seawater, the Devil Fruit user was losing strength.

"Drop it!" Nami yelled, whacking a marine over the head with her Climatact. "If that's the best we can do, just drop him!"

_Witch! _I yelled. _I want that in pristine condition when I get back! If you go breaking a leg I won't forgive you!_

Robin wasn't able to. At that moment, another lightning bold flashed. It was only a split second, but suddenly the entire mast was crackling with electricity, and Robin's scream of pain could be heard even over the clamor of the ongoing battle.

My eyes narrowed, and I gripped the rungs so tight my already transparent knuckles turned white. A rage swelled in my chest that would have put the waves to shame, but I couldn't place its source. I was just suddenly so… _angry_ that for my sake my nakama were suffering, and I couldn't do anything about it. I would never forgive myself if any one of them were hurt, but Robin's scream hit me deep. That intense tug in my gut, the same one when she was attacked by Enel and Aokiji, it was back. That urge to _protect._

The mast had been completely fried, a gaping hole in the center where the bolt had struck. Even Adam's wood couldn't withstand lightning. Up above, Robin went limp, her limbs vanishing. "_Robin!" _Nami screamed.

"Robin-chan!" Sanji cried, disposing of his group of marines and running to catch her as she slipped from the slick tile and toppled back to the deck. The cook managed to catch her, skin dark from electrocution, but still conscious and functional.

"Thank you, Sanji-san," she murmered. "But… Zoro…"

Nami and Sanji exchanged glances, each staring up at the nest. My body was lying half in and half out of the room, my hair and bandages soaked through, looking like a pathetic rag doll. The force of the wind on the ruined mast was too great, and it snapped completely in half.

_Oh shit!_ I yelled, releasing my hold on the mast as it slowly began falling toward the ocean, taking my body with it. All was lost if it couldn't be recovered, and everyone was preoccupied with the marines to notice. The only available person was…

"Nami-san," Sanji said, lowering Robin to the deck, lashing out with a foot to take out a marine who had snuck up behind. "Take Robin-chan somewhere safe while I get the stupid marimo."

"Wait, Sanji-kun!" Nami yelled, but it was too late. Sanji had already kicked off his shoes and was diving for the rail. "It's too dangerous!" She shrieked. "You'll be carried away by the currents and drown!" Sanji had hit the water before she had finished her sentence.

"Nami-sis!"

She turned, Robin's arm over her shoulder, and I felt a sudden twinge of jealousy. _I _should be the one supported the historian if it was _my_ fault this had happened. To establish a medium, I dodged Chopper's Heavy Gong and overshadowed Nami, looking through her eyes to see Franky suddenly appear from below deck, pushing his sunglasses back onto his forehead.

"Franky!" Nami/I scolded. "Where the hell have you been!?"

"Making you guys a boat," the blue-haired shipwright explained, a bit confused as to why there was rain and wind and a raging sea. "What happened out here?" He suddenly noticed the broken mast. "AAAH! Sunny! What happened to my ship!?"

"Never mind that!" Nami/I interrupted. "Zoro's body fell overboard and Sanji-kun's gone to get him. As soon as he gets back we'll leave!"

"Let's go on and see what Franky has created for us," Robin suggested, and Nami/I turned to look at her head on. Up close, her eyes were heavy with pain and sadness I had only seen in Enies Lobby, but this time it was a different kind of pain, one I couldn't fully describe without it sounding romantic. But underneath that layer was one of a pure heart, full of determination and confidence to see this through to the end.

Nami/I cast one last look at the ocean before nodding and moving away, following Franky down into the workshop. I didn't immediately follow, running to the rail to see if the idiot cook had surfaced yet. The mast was somehow holding on to the ship with a single board, but it didn't look like it would last long. My eyes scanned the water frantically, not even caring if I unexpectedly overshadowed a passing marine or pirate.

Finally, I spotted a flash of yellow and white in the midst of the chaos, and I let out a whoop as I spotted Sanji's hair and my soaking bandages against the dark blue and green of the boiling sea. Turning away, I raced down below decks, desperately trying to catch up to the girls before they set sail without me.

I burst through a door that had been left open and balked as the door to the channel for the Shark Submerge was opened again to evict the hasty vessel Franky had crafted. The sub was still floating in the water, but it wouldn't accommodate three people and a body; there was no denying Sanji would have to accompany us now that he was at the mercy of the currents.

Franky had fashioned a bit of a larger version of the Mini Merry but it was larger and more durable for stormy weather. It seated six people tightly compacted together under a wooden roof reinforced with steel to prevent leaks. It had a hurried decor job of still-wet dark green paint. A port hole was set into the side, and through it I could see Nami taking the controls. Only our shipwright was good enough to build something like this in ten minutes.

Franky was off to one side, guiding out the newest creation. As the door was opened, and the ship began to meet the maelstrom beyond, I jerked myself into action and ran forward, making a dive for the rear of the ship. I had barely phased through and hit the interior before the full force of the storm hit, and the tiny ship was rocked violently to the side.

Had I been alive, my head would have collided roughly with the side of the boat and I would be unconscious. Instead, my head went right through and pulled back again, falling back to the floor with a moan. The rocking and rolling of the vessel made me sick to my stomach, but I managed to slide against the wall and propping myself up to watch the goings on.

Nami was doing her best to keep herself calm as she expertly steered the craft through the raging waves while Robin had her eyes pressed against the window, scanning the waves for that telltale sign of blonde. I looked through the porthole on the other wall to witness the progress of the departing ship. As I watched, the huge arm suddenly appeared above the Sunny and crashed into a marine warship, crushing it to pieces.

As the debris crashed into the waves, I spotted Sanji break the surface of the water, his tie wrapped around my body's wrists so that they were secure around his neck and had little chance of sliding off. His shoulders were bare, so I assumed his shirt was wrapped around our waists. How he had managed all that in a damn _cyclone_ is beyond me, but somehow he had.

I looked back around. _Robin!_ I yelled. _Over here, he's over here!_

Robin didn't even twitch. Voice, work! Come on, seriously!

I lurched to my feet as the ship hit another swell. I fell forward, overshadowing the archaeologist. My vision immediately zoomed in twenty/twenty, looking through the woman's eyes. _I can't bloom eyes outside the ship without blinding myself, _Robin/I thought. _If I could even hold it with all the seawater._

_You idiot!_ I thought, desperately channeling my own words into her mind. I didn't know if she registered it or not, but I went on anyway. _There are two windows! Try the other one!_

Robin's mind went blank. _Z-Zoro?_

_The second window, baka! Geez, and you call yourself a historian!_

Very slowly, Robin's vision shifted behind her, stumbling over coiled rope on the floor and looking through the second porthole, through which Sanji was clearly visible battling against the waves. _Incredible,_ Robin's mind marveled. _Zoro-san is still Zoro-san even when he's not here._

_Of course I am,_ I muttered. _Now tell Nami about the ero-cook so he doesn't let my body drown._ With that, I withdrew from Robin's mind and left her body, backing up to regain my own body and mind for myself.

"Nami, I see him!" Robin said immediately, growing a hand from Nami's arm and pulling the wheel to the right. The navigator shuddered, still not quite used to disembodied limbs blooming from her body. But as Sanji entered her field of vision, all thoughts of third arms vanished, and she put the metal to the metal, speeding the ship over the raging ocean toward the cook in distress.

"Robin, can you pull him in?" Nami yelled.

"I think so."

"Then get on it!"

Robin reached the handle that would open the door to the ship, shading her eyes with a spare hand while blooming an entire line of them from the ship's hull. "Sanji!" she yelled over the roar of the wind. "Grab on!"

Sanji didn't hear her over his struggles, and was suddenly attacked by a current, pulled farther away from the tiny boat.

I grit my teeth. _Do I have to do every damn thing by myself?_ I raged, and phased through the wall and into the storm, keeping the bottoms of my feet solid as I ran across the tops of waves. Seeing as my body was only a spirit and made of pretty much solid smoke, the wind would rip a piece of my body away, and I would momentarily stop to focus and reform a lost arm or foot before I could continue. The first time it happened I nearly had a heart attack (even though I don't have a heart), and the moment I wished for my left arm to return it did. _This is what Logia users must feel like,_ I figured, and continued running. I'm pretty sure if not for my will and desire to survive, I would not have survived this long.

Finally, with a raw-throated yell, I launched myself the last few feet and finally managed to overshadow the stupid cook. What I felt was a sudden wave of pain, fear, and terrifying truth that _he was going to die._ That was what Sanji was feeling right then and there, all hope gone with the current. Still, he/I kicked furiously at the waves, and I thrust my own words into his thoughts, just like I had with Robin.

_Oi, Dartboard! Turn around right now!_

_Shit, now I'm going insane. I have marimo's voice in my head._

_TURN AROUND DAMMIT!_

To the best of his ability, with me helping a bit, Sanji/I somehow managed to rotate one hundred eighty degrees, enough to see the ship with Robin hanging out of it through the blinding rain. Sanji's/my heart began beating faster, and fire was suddenly rekindled in the cook's heart. He kicked faster, freestyling as best he could through the raging sea, leaving me behind again.

Cursing this damn yukata the spirit world/place thing whatever had clad me in, I raced after him, keeping an eye on my body's prone form still strewn across Sanji's back like a sack of potatoes. I couldn't be too, too picky thought. Despite my not wanting to admit it, Sanji had risked his life to save one already lost. Maybe the guy had some guts after all.

I phased through the ship just as Robin grabbed the knot holding the two bodies together and dragged them inside, slamming the door behind them and blocking out the rain. All three of them were soaked to the skin, shivering uncontrollably. Nami received the OK from Robin and began moving the boat away from the Thousand Sunny and the rest of the crew, following the log pose toward Myth Island.

"Here you are, Sanji-san," Robin said, kneeling down and handing him a thick towel to wrap around his bare chest. My body had been removed and wrapped in a towel, taking up a few seats on benches near the back of the boat.

"Thank you, Robin-chan," Sanji said. "But you take it. There's only a few, and you need it more than I do."

"Thanks very kind, but I do believe you were the one who rescued Zoro-san," Robin pointed out and threw the towel at him. "Take it."

Sanji gave up and accepted it, wrapping the warm cloth around his bare chest. "How many hours left?"

Robin looked out the window, where the cyclone was slowly dissipating from existence behind them and the night sky was clear once again. "If I had to venture a guess," she said. "I would say less than twelve hours."

**Haha, fooled ya, didn't I? :D A cyclone in the middle of an invasion is not tranquil and beautiful! HAH!**

**But please don't hate me; I put a lot of effort into this, going so far as to procrastinate on my research project to finish it! So excuse me if it doesn't seem to 100 percent at its best; I didn't review it before posting. But I don't know its status if you don't tell me, so reviews greatly appreciated.**

**See ya next time!**

**Coming Up: Chapter 6 – Reconcile Your Heart**


	6. Reconcile Your Heart

**Guess what this is.**

**If you said chapter 6, congratulations, you get a cookie. I worked my ass off to get this up tonight, so you're welcome. :D We'll finally receive the much-anticipated Robin and Nami lament in this chapter (though they're not as long as I wanted them to be), as well as finally landing on Myth Island and discovering something incredible about Zoro himself. Keep your eyes peeled, and always bring a banana to a party.**

**I also have a brief announcement. In my otherwise spare time, I've been working on an AMV and it's almost done… and I'm debating about whether to post it to YouTube. I just make them for fun, but I really want to share it. It's a ZoRobin, if that's any help….?**

**Review Corner:**

**NinjaSheik – **Always with a nice dash of humor. :D I FOUND IT! I FOUND THE QUOTE! Thriller Bark, Zoro vs. Kuma, episode 376. About five minutes in. Thank you random fan fiction I found putting a LuNa twist on Kuma's appearance at Thriller Bark, and the quote was there! So was all like, O.O MUST FIND! And it was there! YAY! :D :D Anyway, please enjoy.

**Nami Swannn – **I had to give Zoro _something_ to do… just phasing through stuff and overshadowing isn't all that really impressive, but communication is pretty cool, is it not? Sanji kicks cyclone butt.

**Arashi-Storm-Guardian – ***chugs wine bottle * Good stuff! I had half a mind to put "skull joke" in there, then thought, nah. Zoro'd kill me. Except he's already dead and can't do anything. GHOST JOKE! Thanks for your continuing enthusiasm and enjoy this update!

**Portgas D. Paula – **I believe in ghosts because it's fun to. But don't worry, Zoro's a nice ghost. :)

**rebecca taylor – **Haha, thanks.

**Igreg01 – **Oh that was you? Haha, I was wondering… I have a future plan for the marines, so they have to know Zoro is deceased. I won't reveal anything, but just know the reaction will be priceless! I feel like an evil God manipulating everything… Oh no. I must have secretly traveled to the moon and taken lessons from Enel. O.O

**Shadowangel9999 – **Almost lost it, almost lost Sanji, too. I was going to have Zoro able to actually manipulate the bodies themselves and move their limbs as if they were his own, but figured that's too high-tech for a new ghost. Maybe in later chapters, but for now, enjoy Franky's new Battle Franky 4 hundred something!

**armaani – **Enies Lobby wasn't exactly what I was going for, more like Impel Down, but okay. :) Zoro kicks ass alive or dead, that's why he's my favorite swordsman!

**Seis Fleur – **Blankie, check. Reindeer plushie, check. Popcorn, check. Ice cream, check. Box of tissues, check. Stress ball, check. Press play, sit back and enjoy!

**Red Voident Dragon – **Thanks for your reviews for the other chapters prior to this one, it makes me happy. Laughing is what I was going for, so I'm glad I succeeded. Hating me for stopping right there, I've had that before in one of my other fics. It was quite humorous, actually. Grand chapter! I actually find first person easy because it's more relatable ya know? I feel like I can delve deeper into a character's personality, but everyone is different.

**Beadwork – **And the winner goes to… MUAH! Characterization is my specialty. Thanks for the review!

**Those are some awesome people right there, I love you all, my faithful followers!**

Chapter 6 - Reconcile Your Heart

"_Well, how about this. My 'luck' versus this thing's  
'curse.' Wanna see who's stronger…? If I lose,  
then I'm just that much of a man anyways."  
Roronoa Zoro_

Robin woke with a start, sitting up and letting out a yawn, raising her arms above her head. I looked up from my spot near the back of the boat, lounging next to my body and counting the stars through the window. I had tried to sleep but it seemed in this ghostly state I wasn't allowed to.

The historian blinked the sleep from her eyes, staring with hazy vision at the radar and sonar devices built into our simple vessel. Confirming to the best of her knowledge that we were, in fact, on course, she turned her attention to me, or the physical me anyway. It had begun to take it as a bad sign that because I had developed a sense of difference between the physical world and the spirit realm, that I was loosing myself mentally, and before long I wouldn't know anything. Already I was having trouble remembering Kuina's face. A few minutes and I might forget her completely. The thought scared me, and I wrapped my arms around my knees as if that would sustain my memory longer. How long until I forget my crew, my friends?

Robin shuffled around Sanji's snoring form, and Nami propped up against the far wall, her head bowed over her chest in slumber, looking very peaceful. She did her best not to disturb them as she situated herself next to my head. I scooted over to accommodate the extra room. I didn't feel like overshadowing anyone.

"Hello, Kenshi-san," she began. "I always wondered; did you like being referred to as that? I try not to say that as much anymore, not since Enies Lobby. But I still think it's very nice." Robin was silent for a long while, and I mulled over it for a while. No, I hadn't really liked being referred to as simply "Swordsman-san," but I wasn't going to object to it. After all, I didn't really fully trust her until I learned she actually sacrificed herself for us, and that was when I really and truly believed she was on our side and wouldn't double cross us like we - well, I - had initially thought. And then she called me "Zoro" and I realized I liked how my name rolled off her lips, and preferred it to her petty nickname.

Robin looked out the window. "Wouldn't it be strange if you are a ghost and is listening to everything we're saying? That would be interesting, wouldn't it?"

I almost stopped breathing, not that would have mattered anyway. It was like she knew I really was there, or her guessing skills were ridiculously accurate. She wasn't looking at me like Luffy and Brook were, but I remembered back on Thriller Bark when news of my death was first introduced, she hadn't been staring at my body, but rather squinting at where I had been standing on observation. A chill crept down my spine.

Robin was silent again for a while, so long I expected she had fallen asleep again. A rising sun forced its way through the glass, breaking into a tiny rainbow dancing across the back of her hand. She still wore her outfit from Thriller Bark, as did most of the other crew, but her ragged appearance just made her that much more beautiful.

Beautiful?

"There's something I wanted to tell you," she said suddenly, breaking me from my thoughts. "Something the others couldn't hear. Especially not Sanji-san." I was interested suddenly, and leaned forward from my slumped position to listen harder. What was so important that she couldn't tell anyone? Robin was known to keep secrets, but recently she had begun opening up more and more, and I had thought I knew everything worthwhile about her. Excluding her apparently terrifying past, she had nothing to hide directly from us.

"It's been weighing on my mind for some time," she continued. "And I suppose you would know that feeling of having something building up inside you until you feel you may burst with the pressure. But now I think I may have finally found a time to reveal it." Robin examined her fingers, which I noticed seemed like a very un-Robin-like move. "Zoro, I w–"

My body suddenly began to glow. Well, not the entire thing. Just the inside of my left forearm, a light green color seeping through the still damp cloths binding my wounded form. Robin's eyes locked on the supernatural effect, her hands curious as she slowly began to unite the white strips as other limbs bloomed from the shipboards and shook Nami and Sanji awake.

"Mmmmmrugle."

"Wake up, Nami, Sanji-san," Robin said urgently. "It's urgent."

"What is it, Robin-chan?" Sanji mumbled, rubbing his eye.

"Zoro is glowing."

Both the navigator and cook were by her side in an instant, their eyes bright and alert as they watched Robin pull away the final strip to reveal the source of the strange green light. I leaned in as well, taking in a sharp breath with my nakama.

"What is…?" Nami marveled, running a hand across the scarred skin.

Sanji blinked like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Impossible."

"But very real," Robin whispered.

Numbers had been etched into my arm, glowing with a soft green aura. Three sets of them, separated by a colon, like a digital clock. The farthest right set of numbers was slowly counting down from sixty. As I watched, it hit zero, resetting itself back to sixty as the center number moved from an eight to a seven.

"It's a timer!" said Nami incredulously. "If we're to assume that this is a clock, then this has to be seconds," she indicated the farthest right set. "This minutes…" the middle numbers. "And hours." The farthest left, which beheld an eight.

"So this must be how much time we have left until we've lost Zoro forever," Sanji concluded.

"Eight hours, seven minutes and thirty six seconds," Robin summarized. "How close are we to Myth Island?"

Nami glanced at the log pose programmed into the dashboard. "Almost. About one hour more."

"We can't afford that," Sanji said. "Did Franky give us any paddles?"

After a quick glance, it was confirmed that in the rush of the battle, the shipwright had failed to provide oars. There was a brief discussion, and the three Straw Hats agreed to speed up the process of transportation by each ripping out a board of the ceiling and positioning themselves on each side of the boat. Robin bloomed several long arms from the ship and doubled the speed of the ship. Sanji strapped two boards to his feet and slipped into the water behind the tiny ship, using his feet to paddle rather than his hands.

The sounds of snapping wood was lost in a blur, and my mind suddenly blacked for a moment, temporarily forgetting I even existed. I closed my eyes, struggling to grasp my unknown identity. A series of images raced across the front of my subconscious: a tall old man smiling and handing me a white sword, a thick-set man with a bazooka, two guys with strange haircuts calling me "aniki," a little girl in a striped dress, a blond man with a bowl cut and double chin, a man with an ax for an arm… a boy in a red vest… a man with a big red nose… an orange-haired girl… a giant cat… a small boat with a ram figurehead… The pictures moved too quickly for me to confirm the identities of the people, but there was this feeling at the back of my mind that I knew all of them.

In a flash, my memories suddenly returned. I gave a small cry as my brain was suddenly filled with them, and shook my head, clearing my thoughts. I remembered who I was, what my situation was, and how I had gotten here. But I couldn't recall how I had met my crew… did I meet them at the Baratie? Or was it that fishman who had dictated that island and… what was her name? Nalu? Wait, Nami. I hugged my arms to my chest, my eyes widening in disbelief. How could I forget her when she was standing right in front of me, moving her board back and forth with a look of fierce determination on her face? How long until I forgot the rest of them? _How long?_

I sat huddled in a corner, my arms wrapped around my knees as if that would stop my random mind blanks. I could remember each one, but every time a sliver of my memory was erased. After the latest, about a minute ago, I couldn't recall anything before someplace called Loguetown.

"There it is!"

I looked up to the sound of the blonde guy… Sanji… calling out to the two women. They both looked up, and I followed their gaze to the small dark mass that had appeared on the horizon. Their confidence restored, it seemed as if the ship seemed to travel even faster. As I watched, the small hill that was the island drew closer and increased in size, both in width and height. From what I could see, four huge towers stood to the four cardinal points, all equal disappearing into the lowest cloudbank. At the base was a huge forest filled with lush flora. A tributary could be seen flowing into the island from the ocean and disappearing through the foliage.

"Let's head into that small river," the orange girl said… Nami. "We'll be safer from prying eyes, and maybe find a town where we can get information."

Robin nodded her agreement, and the ship was turned toward the mouth of the inlet. I felt another wave of memory lapse coming on, and I desperately fought it back as the island finally loomed high above us, the four towers rising high into the sky like the Knock-Up Stream and disappearing into the clouds. I felt a sense of vertigo just looking up at their extreme height. The nausea distracted me from concentrating on the amnesia, and the same process happened again: the images.

A girl with a sword, the boy with the red vest almost beheaded by a weird man with a ridiculously big nose, a tall mountain, a huge whale. And that was it.

Everything before Whiskey Peak had vanished. That sense of having probably over half of your life gone was terrifying. I distracted myself by concentrating on remembering my nakama's names as our tiny ship met the river and slowly navigated our way through the forest. _Lucky. Aesop. Nancy. Sandy. Robin. Franky. Brook. And me, Zuko. _I grit my teeth. No, some of those were wrong. The first four. Try as I might, their true names evaded me, standing on the tip of my tongue and refusing to leave my lips. It was infuriating. And my own name sounded strange, too. Was it real?

"Oi, Nami. What's the plan?" said the blonde one. Sammy, right? No. Fine. Sandy sounds good. But he had called the orange-haired girl Nami. I _had_ to remember it. Nami! Nami! Nami! Sandy! Sandy! Sandy! Robin! Robin! Robin! Robin!

The addressed orange haired girl turned. "Currently, I have no idea." She looked to Robin, who was watching the forest rush by outside with interest. "What's Zoro's time?"

Zoro. What she talking about me? Robin leaned over, running a hand over my body still lying in the corner, so it must be me. Remember, Zoro! Zoro! Zoro! "Seven hours, forty six minutes. So we're running out of time."

Nancy looked to the forward window. "There should be a town somewhere on this river, and we can figure out something there."

"And if there isn't?"

Nancy looked up toward the four towers. "I'm assuming those are the highest Temples the Legend talked about. Robin, can you recite it again?"

Robin closed her eyes as if remembering. "_If a man dies in the honor of another, bring that man to the highest temple on the highest mountain and lay his body in the River Chai. Should that man been in love with a woman in his life, said woman should revive him within the waters as the sun rises. Should this occur, the man whose life was lost shall be returned to the World of the Living. Such a ritual should be completed within forty-eight hours of the man's death."_

"Those don't look like mountains to me," said Sandy, staring at the towers.

"We have to assume that that's what it means," Nancy snapped back. She suddenly seemed to realize her tone, and covered her mouth with a hand. "I'm sorry, Sanji-kun. I'm just a bit worked up."

We continued in silence. A mist settled over the river, shrouding us in a blanket of white and hiding the riverbank from view. Nancy steered the boat steadily through the water, her eyes fixed ahead of her. Sandy and Robin sat together by my body, staring occasionally down at it like it would suddenly disappear and their efforts would be in vain. Meanwhile, I was still repeating their names in my mind to prevent another wave of amnesia. _Lucky, Nancy, Aesop, Sammy…_

The ship suddenly jerked to a halt, grinding hard against something solid beneath us. Nancy cried out as she tumbled from her seat, and Sammy lunged to catch her, his one visible eye transforming to a tiny heart in his head as her breasts were met with his arms. Robin tripped and landed hard next to my body, her elbow on my partially-shredded stomach band. She didn't move from that spot even as Sammy and Nancy corrected their stance.

"What just happened?" Asked Sammy.

"We probably hit a reef," Robin said, finally moving and opening the door, letting in a small stream of fog. "I doubt we'll be able to go any farther on the boat."

The three disembarked our tiny means of transportation, staring around them in wonder. With a quick wave of Nancy's Climatact, the mist was dispersed, and we found we had indeed run against rocks jutting from the bottom of the river. We were standing on a bed of damp moss, what looked like a trail cutting a path through the underbrush leading into the forest. The river continued on, and I spotted something being carried away with the current.

"A basket," said Nancy incredulously. "This island must be inhabited then."

"Perhaps if we follow the river, we will come across a village," Robin suggested.

"Or we could take the trail," Sandy said. "It has to be there for a reason."

I didn't know which route to take. If I ever came to a conclusion, I could always overshadow one of them and force my thoughts into their mind again. I looked toward the trail to examine the footing when a movement caught my eye. I whipped around, instinctively reaching for katana that weren't there. I squinted toward a tree, where I was certain I had seen someone duck behind the trunk. I took a step toward it, when my three nakama finally came to a decision.

"The trail it is," said Nancy. "Who will carry Zoro?"

_Zoro._ Not Zuko.

"Maybe we could make a crude wagon out of our ship?"

"That would take too long."

"We could hog-tie him to a long stick and carry him between us," was the suggestion that brought silence to Nancy and Sandy. Robin cocked her head a bit like it was perfectly valid option. "Why not?"

Nancy and Sandy exchanged glances. Even without overshadowing them, I could immediately tell they weren't completely against the idea. Neither of them could come up with a valid alternative, and they soon agreed to Robin's barbaric plan. I could only watch as Sandy kicked down a branch from a nearby oak as Robin dragged my body from the depths of the ship. Nancy used my spare bandages to tie my wrists and ankles around the log. Robin and Sandy decided to carry the both ends of the stick, even if Robin wasn't the strongest of the three physically.

Sandy went scouting ahead down the trail, disappearing with a baby den den to keep in touch. Robin went to gather supplies inside the ship, leaving Nancy with my body alone on the banks of the river. She sat silently, the silence broken only by the gurgling of the river and the occasional cry of some strange bird.

"Thank you, Zoro," Nancy said quietly, barely audible enough for me to hear sitting next to her. "Just for always being there, ya know? I've known you the second longest than anyone in the crew, the first being Luffy, but I feel like we've always had like a sibling connection, if you know what I mean. You're always just… there. Not always reliable when it comes to directions, but you kick some serious ass." I mulled over her words. The guy I thought was Lucky was probably the Luffy guy, red-vest boy in the images I always got before my episodes. And my sense of direction was perfect, thank you very much. It was everything else that moved around.

"I've been thinking," Nancy continued. "I'll decrease your debt by ten percent if you come back." She was met by the silence of the forest as I did a tiny happy dance where I sat. Anything to decrease that damn debt! "Fine, forty percent," Nancy complied with the silence. "Happy now?"

"NAMI-SWAN!" Sandy's voice rang out through the trees, and the owner of said voice came racing from around the bend, a grin literally stretching from ear to ear. "It's incredible!"

Robin emerged from the ship, three backs thrown over her shoulder. "What is it, Sanji-san?"

"There is a village," Sandy confirmed with delight, reaching for the pole from which hung my precious body. He took the front of the pole where my feet were bound and lifted it to his shoulder. "But the inhabitants are unlike anything you've seen before!"

Robin distributed the packs before placing the other end of the pole on her shoulder, with a few extra arms for added support. Still, a wince creased her mouth as my weight fell on her shoulders. My head lolled as it became suspended in the air, my wrists straining against the sloppy knot job holding them together. "Who are they?" she asked, as the party moved onward in the direction Sammy had just returned from.

Sammy shook his head. "Not _who. What._ They're not human."

"Then what are they?" Nancy asked, her voice tinted with fear and curiosity.

Sammy craned his neck to face the women, a light shining bright in his eye. "The stuff of legends."

**There's a plot twist. A timer on Zoro's arm, while he is slowly forgetting who he is! This could turn out bad, couldn't it? And what does Robin want to say? Do I feel evil yet? Yes, yes I do. :D I had so much fun with Zoro's new names for his crew. Couldn't resist Aesop and Zuko.**

**I guess I should also elaborate on that. See, when Zoro forgot when he met the person, for example Sanji, every time their name is mentioned in the memories he does have, he "never learned it" so therefore "can't remember it", and has to replace them with something similar, hence 'Lucky' for Luffy, 'Nancy' for Nami, 'Sammy' and 'Sandy' for Sanji, etc. Does that clear it up a bit? I know it seemed a bit confusing.**

**Anyway, thanks to all my reviewers for staying with me so long, and please keep 'em coming! I love knowing what you guys think. I'm not going to keep ranting now because it's taking up unnecessary space, so I'll leave you with the chapter title of the next section for you to mull over.**

**Until then, chao!**

**Coming Up: Chapter 7 – Over the River and Through the Woods**


	7. Over the River and Through the Woods

**I didn't realize this chapter's title was a Christmas song until I heard it on the radio the other day. "Over the river and through the woods to Grandma's house we go…" complete mind fart. But I'm not Christian so cut me some slack. The radios betray me every October through December (yes, October is there for a reason -_-) and I don't listen during that time of year. But it fit the chapter content so that's what it's called.**

**Did everyone have a good holiday season? Get lots of presents? Get fat? Come up with a New Year's resolution? Mine is to update these things faster and not overload my brain with everything else. Wish me luck. XD**

**WARNING: I drop the F-bomb at the very end. Sorry bout that, the other two cuss words didn't do his situation justice. I don't like the word, but nothing else fit. XD**

**Review Corner:**

**Igreg01 – **It logs me out randomly, too… it's kind of weird but I suppose you get used to it. I haven't decided how far out to take his memory, but he won't lose it all this chapter, I can guarantee. Oh trust me, the marines will be worth waiting for. I have something planned that will blow your socks off, and if you imagine it as if it were a real anime episode, you'll die of epicness. XD, and thanks for your continued support!

**gracling42 – **I love that In Time movie. My dad doesn't, he thinks the end could've been better, but I love that concept, that the amount of time you have to live is forever on your arm… and I actually watched it the other day and unknowingly incorporated it. XD Aw, man, I did forget Tashigi, didn't I? I'll put her in again later. I hate OOC characters, and that's why I do my best. I hate text-speak, so I'm known as the Grammar Nazi amongst my friends. Thanks for the review and enjoy this next chapter swarming with ZoRo.

**Rasaxe – **I couldn't remember what the official term was for tying game upside down on a stick by their legs, so I just improvised. I think the timer adds to the tension, you know? Now that you have a fixed time, you have to work even harder to make sure you're under that time limit.

**NinjaSheik – **You'll find out next chapter I think what she wanted to say. It'll be pure fluff, I'll let you in on that. Now that I think about it, they are kind of American names. But since I'm Amuricun, those are the kinds of things that come to my head first. But then, "Luffy" isn't exactly Japanese. And I did watch the English dub on the official, and I'm convulsing from withdrawal symptoms. I'm not sure how to feel about Franky's VA… Seitz isn't Kazuki Yao, but still pretty super. I can't wait until the "SUPAH" dance.

**armaani – **Yes, Zuko. Couldn't resist. First time I saw that guy in the Book of Fire I fangirled for an entire week, plus some. And yes, that's why. And honestly it's there because I needed a time frame for myself, too. I couldn't drag this thing out forever, could I? And I'm almost done with your chapter, a few more days or so.

**Nami Swannn – **It's an unintentional "In Time" reference. CHOPPER! I knew I'd forgotten someone. How about… Cheddar? As in cheddar cheese?

**Gummiebear – **For some reason it won't let me type your username. ?_? Cocaine for the eyes and red bull for the brain. Haven't heard that one before. XD Thanks for your new addiction, and please enjoy the next chapter!

Chapter 7 – Over the River and Through the Woods

_"A wound that would make an ordinary man unconscious… I won't lose to it.  
A wound that would kill an ordinary person… I won't lose to it!  
To face one who is extraordinary, Hawk Eyes…  
I can't allow myself to be ordinary!"  
__Roronoa Zoro_

It wasn't my fault we got lost. And it was most definitely not my fault when Robin accidently dropped her end of the stick after twisting her ankle on a root, and Blondie erupted into all hearts and healing, leaving my body to roll down a particularly steep decline, which led Namizou to go catch it, losing her footing and rolling down the hill, resulting in Sangino's flight down the slope after her, unknowingly dragging Robin after him. It all went downhill from there, so to speak.

"Ow, ow, ow," Namizou moaned, rubbing her ass as if that would make it better. I couldn't help but smirk as I casually treaded after the tumbling nakama, using the comic relief in the tense situation to drive back the next wave of amnesia I could feel building up in the back of my head. I hadn't had one in the past thirty minutes or so, but I still kept up my guard.

"Nami-san," Sangino panted. "Robin-chan. Are you alright?"

Robin nodded, holding a hand to her head. "I think so. Where is Zoro-san?"

My body was soon located. It had fallen into a thicket, my bandages now riddled with thorns and digging into my skin. Faintly, the numbers on my arm displayed 7:34:30. Robin brushed aside the tacks and gently pulled my heavy body from its embrace, disregarding the small trails of blood sliding across her skin. She plucked each individual thorn from its place in my skin, setting them in a smile pile by her knee. Sangino and Namiko didn't object, but mostly just bounced on the balls of their heels like they had to keep going or they would explode.

Robin finally finished her task, straightening. "Alright. I didn't want to cause Zoro-san any trouble when he returned to the physical world."

"That's understandable," said Namiko, turning her face to the wind. It rustled through the treetops like a sweet melody, smelling of mint and other delectable spices. Sai seemed perfectly at home with the scent. Robin cracked a small smile before the wind suddenly died and her grin was replaced by a curious line.

"Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Listen."

The three went quiet, listening to the sounds of the forest. A bird twittered above our heads, and I followed the colorful bird as it moved from branch to branch. A wind rustled again, this time bringing the stench of sweat and mud, but also with the sweet sense of purity. A pebble began to shake next to my foot as the ground suddenly rumbled beneath our feet.

As if to accompany the raging ground, the wave of blackness in my subconscious overcame my mind, and those people from my past flashed before my eyes again… Me cutting down a huge group of people for what appeared to be no reason, the boy in the red vest attacking me and yelling loudly, a woman with long blue hair and a weird duck, a burning ship with a black-haired woman sitting on the rail of our ship. Pulling into the next island to see a huge tiger keel over dead… going off to hunt dinosaurs… In the blink of an eye, Little Garden was my earliest memory, making Mr. 3 and Miss Goldenweek as I slowly turned to wax. That wasn't the best day to have first memories of.

"What is this!?" Nancy cried, struggling to maintain her balance.

"Something is coming!" Sai confirmed, squinting through the trees to where a distant drumming could be heard. "And fast."

"What should we do, Sanji-san?" Robin asked, putting a hand on my body's shoulder, ready for instant action.

"Wait," the blonde commanded. "Lets see what it is."

We did as instructed, and sat motionless for a minute. Finally, through the underbrush sprung a pure white stallion, so ivory he practically seemed to glow. The horse's eyes were wide, his hooves pounding the ground as he galloped toward us. I didn't see anything special about it, but Nancy and Robin seemed starstruck, following the creature as it barreled toward us. Following it through the woods came twenty more identical horses, all gleaming white and practically glowing.

"Nami-san, Robin-chan!" Sanjino yelled. "You'll be trampled!" When neither of the girls moved, he took the iniative and wrapped an arm around Nami's waist, pulling her off to the side with him and leaping out of the way of the storming herd. Robin slowly blinked back into her senses, wrapping her arms around my body and pulling it off to the other side.

"Could it really be…?" she whispered. I didn't see what was so special about the horses as they drew closer, but I had to know what mesmerized the women so much that they were rendered immobile. I moved out of the way of the herd as they began to gallop past our hiding spot and overshadowed Robin, looking through her eyes and mind.

I was probably hallucinating, but within the few seconds of stampeding animals I was able to see, I could have sworn every single one had a single solitary horn protruding from the center of their foreheads, the tip shining with an individual star. _Amazing, _Robin's mind was alive with a million different thoughts. _Unicorns, complete with the lion's tail and feathered feet! Simply incredible. If wonders like this exist on Myth Island, what else awaits us further in our journey?_

_A unicorn?_ I scoffed, leaving Robin's body for my own gaseous state. _Like hell. Those things don't exist._

Robin continued to watch the retreating horses, her eyes wide in shock, awe, and amazement. A light shone in her eyes similar to when she had discovered more ancient ruins or something. It was a nice look that I liked; it suited her, much more than that faraway look she sometimes got like she was bathing in memories she didn't want.

The sentimental moment was interrupted, however, when I suddenly sensed the same presence I had back when our river transport had beached. That feeling that we were being watched, that tingle that runs up your spine and you just can't shake it off. I whipped around, my fists balled, eyes roving through the trees to spot the stalker.

There! A man was peeking around the edge of a trunk, his eyes fixed on Robin's back as she leaned over for a last look at the so-called unicorns. He seemed to come to some kind of conclusion and looked back over his shoulder, gesturing to someone behind him. A moment, and four tiny little men emerged silent as a shadow from their hiding place, each armed with a knife and a coil of rope.

With a moan, I made a dive for Robin, throwing my thoughts into her mind. _Turn around now, Robin. Unless you want to possibly die, do it now!_

_Zoro._

_Do it now, woman! Damn, are all females this complicated?_

Robin turned, but by the time she had, the men had surrounded her in a semi-circle, all knives pointed directly at her, an inch from her face. Her pupils shrank and she didn't move a muscle.

"It's a female," said one of the men, dressed in a black undershirt and black tunic, a belt of silver across his waist. A black travelling cloak was slung over his shoulders, ending at his ankles where donned were leather boots. His long brown beard was pulled into three separate ponytails, adorned with white ribbons. His dark eyes were shaded, giving him a very eerie appearance. "Human?"

"She's a bit pale; Aluk?" said the man next to the first, this one in a long navy blue tunic and gold belt. His cloak was dirt-brown, with an accompanying grey shawl wrapped across his brown hair and short beard. He, too, wore leather boots, which he promptly stomped into the ground. "Bit rare to see a female Aluk."

"She's definitely human, Irogan," said the third, this one slightly older as indicated by his grey beard. This one was glad in a deep maroon, with a belt adorned with various devices that could either be used in war or mining. A tasseled broadsword was belted to his hip. Across his shoulders was a regal-looking cape threaded with silver. "She doesn't smell like an Aluk."

"But looks at this ones," said the fourth, this one shorter than the others. He wore a deep green tunic with a silver belt. Across his shoulders was what looked like a wolf's pelt, held in place by a black strap running over his shoulder and across his chest. His golden-blonde beard was carefully braided down the front of his chest and his hair held back on his head with pins. He was currently poking at my body with a brown deerskin boot. "Hes has to be deads; no one stucks wis those kinds of thorns survives for very longs."

Robin's eyes shrank even more, and I felt a twinge in my own heart. Yes, I was dead, but Robin wasn't, and she had pulled me from the thicket and taken careful measures to extract the thorns from me. Oh shit.

"Whats should wes dos with hers, Orin?" said the fourth, addressing the third and who I assumed to be the leader of the group.

"We'll see about the other three with the second group in a minute," said Orin, not removing his blade from where it was aimed at Robin's heaving chest. "Humans don't sell well these days, but I suppose it depends."

I let out a hiss. _Slave traders. We've been ambushed by mini slave traders._ I didn't understand why Robin just dealt with these guys with her Devil Fruit powers. She could take them out with a flick of her wrist if she wanted to, so why not? She shifted a bit for a better position where she knelt, and I immediately saw the reason. The puncture wounds from where she had been stabbed by thorns were oozing a sickly yellow pus, and her hands were shaking slightly, but it appeared she didn't have any control over them. Her breathing had increased rapidly.

"Who are you?" she asked, trying to maintain a steady composure.

"We don't have to tell you anything," said Irogan sharply, thrusting his sword closer between Robin's eyes.

"Silence," Orin interrupted. "We may be cruel, but we're not evil." His gaze shifted back to his captive. "We are the Dwarven Traders, Droi, Irogan, Orin, and Ilfred, selling fresh slaves to the wealthier mongrels living in the Four Temples at the top of those towers. For some reason, the slaves only last a week or two." His eyes moved to Robin's bleeding and oozing hands. "We'll have to fix that before the market tomorrow."

"What do we do with the body?" Said the third dwarf, digging the heel of his boot into my body's cheek. "Looks dead to me."

"Don't touch him!" Robin screeched, drawing all attention to her. She had pulled herself into proper sitting position, her eyes blazing. "Don't you dare."

Droi and Ilfred exchanged glances. "He can't be dead if she's makin' this much of fuss," said Droi.

"Coulds it bes a witch's spells?" asked Ilfred. "We's picked up someones likes that befores. Stoles her from other dwarves, y'see, but some other humans gots to her first. Is hates 'True Love's Kiss'."

Orin stroked his beard. "It's possible. Angela has been pretty active this past year…" He nodded. "Alright. We'll take the body with us." He gestured toward Robin, who still looked tense and rigid, her eyes locked on Droi, who slowly removed his foot under her fierce gaze. "Tie her up."

Ten minutes showed Robin with her hands tied behind her neck and two more ropes around her legs to prevent escape. She stood higher than the four men, who only reached her waist in height. My body had been detached from its stick and laid on a makeshift stretcher fashioned from a large leaf and two metal poles one of the dwarfs had in his satchel. How they fit beats me.

"Robin-chan!" came Sanjino's voice from where he and Namiko had taken shelter from the stampede. "Are you okay?"

I resisted the urge to stomp over to him and give him a good thinking-to. It had been at least fifteen minutes since the horses left, why the hell hadn't he done anything? Our dwarves turned toward his yell, curiously looking over the ridge toward the voice. I took the initiative and climbed up to get a good look, all rage and fire, when I saw his and Nancy's situation.

Similar to us, the two were surrounded by a group of six dwarves, all dressed completely different than ours. Nancy was completely gagged and bound, lying on a tiny wooden cart pulled by a Shetland pony. Sangino had been put against a tree, two knives sticking nauseatingly from his boot, no doubt going through his foot and into the ground below. His call had to have been given permission by his dwarven group's leader, a man with long black hair and a close-cropped beard. Dressed in black chain mail and tunic and armed with a black-bladed sword, he looked positively fierce, even without the bow and arrow aimed directly at Sangino's chest.

"Yes, Sanji-san," Robin answered. "I've met some new friends. I'll be going with them for a while."

"Yeah. Me too."

"Gark!" Orin yelled, drawing his sword and joining me to where he could see the other group of dwarves. "This was our catch!"

The bowman looked up at Orin, a smirk evident on his face. "How many times do I have to remind you that you're not the only slave-trading group there is?" he growled. "We saw 'em first, they're ours."

Orin's eyes roved over Sangino's predicament. "You're too brutal, Gark," he muttered. "I'm assuming you'll fetch a good price for those."

"Sure do," said Gark. "The female is what humans call _ripe for the picking._" His lackeys chuckled at their leader's joked. "The man is strong; hard labor. And what'd you get? A half-dead one and an all-dead one!" The dwarves laughed again.

"Watch your tongue," Orin snapped, turning to rejoin his kin. "We'll se you at the square then, yes."

"With your pitiful catch?" Gark snorted. "Doubt it."

Sangino's whimpers of pain faded as Orin and I returned to our group. "We'll be off to Loren," said the dwarf, sheathing his sword.

"Hai," said the others, and with that, Robin and I were escorted from our place and into the forest, led by a curious but not all horrible group of slave drivers. Damn, had I my real body I could deal with these assholes in mere seconds. But then again, had I my body, we wouldn't be here in the first place. Unicorns, dwarves. What next, werewolves and vampires?

Before long, our tiny group came the bank of a river, a bridge stretching across the rapids and letting off to where a town could be seen through the trees. Tiny huts with thatched roofs, two-story buildings with flowerpots hanging on the windowsill, and advertising taverns or shops. As we marched through the town, which was normal sized as a human, different… creatures… emerged from the shops and what I assumed to be houses.

One woman walking past us held up an umbrella to shield herself from the sun, her skin deathly pale and her eyes glowing red. As we passed, she did not acknowledge us, but continued on her way toward a tavern entrance where several similar people stood waiting and smiling happily. A glowing bug flitted in front of my face, and I instinctively raised a hand to swat at it when I remembered that I was intangible. At closer glance, it wasn't a bug at all, but rather a tiny person with wings growing from her back, dressed in a leaf by means of clothing. Wings beating a million times a second, she waved to Irogan cheerfully, who waved back, and sped off, a trail of stars in her wake. _Fairy?_

From a nearby tanner's store exited an extremely tall man, completely bare-chested and covered in coarse black hairs. Where his legs should have been began a horse's chest and body, the two parts grafted smoothly together. He laid his new tanned skins across his back and stared at us as we walked past, his black eyes wary. _Centaur?_ Across the street, two tiny children left a toy store laden with different gifts, waved off by a short man in a green and red suit and black belted shoes, with pointy ears on either side of his hat. _Elf?_

I shook my head. Is that what Sai had meant when he said the stuff of legends? When he ran back to us all grins and hearts, exclaiming to have seen the town where resided inhuman creatures? He hadn't meant just legends like Gold Roger or the City of Gold (been there, done that. I still remembered it). He meant creatures which actually didn't exist. The apparent unicorns, dwarfs, centaurs, fairies, vampires, elves. Holy shit, I was going insane. I just couldn't comprehend the existence of these people. It was simply unacceptable!

The dwarfs finally pulled off the main road and made their way through an alley between two pawn shops. Down a steep flight of stairs, two lefts and a right, through a sewer and finally coming to a door built into a stone slab. Orin stepped forward and rapped the hilt of his sword against the stone four times in rapid succession.

"The Witch's Omen burns where?" Came a voice through the rock.

"The right side of the white oak," Orin replied, and stepped back as the door was pushed open to allowing our group entry.

Whatever lay beyond the door was unseen, the dark suffocating all the light from the room. Irogan and Ilfred entered first with my body suspended between them. A few moments later, the soft _fwhump_ of body hitting stone could be heard and the silent words spoken between the dwarves and another creature inside. Orin ushered Robin and Droi inside, following and shoving the door closed behind him.

I remained outside, unsure whether to follow them. I paced back and forth for a minute before I felt a twinge in my gut. Robin was in there alone. Not technically since my physical form was there, but she was alone mentally, no one to talk to but herself, surrounded by slave drivers and who the hell knows what else. Besides, I may be dead, but I wasn't losing my hunger for adventure, and I most certainly was not going to run away from a bunch of men hardly taller than my belly button.

Damn. I took a running start to phase through the rock, running at top speed. I had grown used to the rush of colors on either side of my vision as my intangible body moved through the solids, how easily I reformed on the other side. So I wasn't expecting to suddenly crash into a hard rock, my face literally flattened against the stone, my chest blooming with a new bruise.

I peeled myself off the huge boulder, rubbing my nose as my eyes widened in disbelief. I hadn't been able to phase through. Robin was on the other side, all alone, and I couldn't enter. I tried again for good measure, running even harder at the entrance, resulting only in a huge mass of bruised skin rising from the center of my forehead similar to as if Nancy had hit me.

I put a hand against the stone, staring forward as if I could somehow project myself into the room, but still to no avail. I was stuck. And as I pouted and kicked the huge stone, another wave of nausea rose up behind my mind, and the images had already begun rolling across my vision.

This was the bad that bad thinks is bad. Oh fuck.

6:57:21

**The rumor about Unicorns is that they can only be seen by women, so that explains why Zoro was initially unable to see them. Don't know if any of you knew that, so if you didn't, know you do. :D Do you like this idea now? Of dwarvish slavers and other mythical creatures? Come on, it **_**is **_**Myth Island. Don't be a Zuko – I mean, Zoro – and not believe anything.**

**Sorry about dropping the F-bomb again. Heh. **

**So I leave you with this chapter as a belated Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanza/Kwanahanamas gift, I wish thee a Happy New Year, and don't forget to review!**

**Coming Up: Chapter 7 – Broken and Shattered**


	8. Broken and Shattered

**So I thought we'd switch gears in this chapter and see what Robin is thinking right about now. That might be interesting, wouldn't it? (Also because I'm kind of stuck with Zoro and I don't know what to have him do at the moment.) Did anyone notice that what Ilfred said about stealing another human female from dwarves was a reference to Snow White? I didn't even realize it was there until I reread the chapter. Funny, innit?**

**So… yap. Welcome , welcome, awesome, awesome. HAPPY NEW YEAR! :)**

**Oh, yea. If anyone loves Fairy Tail, rib190 is having her own Grand Magic Games in a fanfiction. Just find "Next Generation" in the Fairy Tail archive and sign up! It'll be great! There's a lot of openings left.**

**Review Corner:**

**NinjaSheik – **Unicorns and dwarves, more like. Are the names for Sanji and Nami more Japanese a bit for you? I actually used Sanjino from the One Piece Mafia short. I thought it was funny. I didn't get the chapter update signal for your fic… maybe I forgot to subscribe! 0.0

**Nami Swann – **They were easily defeated, but also keep in mind they didn't get any rest from Thriller Bark, they've been rowing nonstop because of wind-loss, just endured a storm, escaped marines, and have been hiking for a while and tumbled down a steep slope. I don't blame them at all. XD

**dragoscilvio – **Well, apparently I didn't know the song. Lol! I had fun deciding Zoro's powers as a ghost; most are derived from Danny Phantom like overshadowing (love that show when I was a kid, still do!) He won't get a ghost ray, though. And ghost form as in visible? Like in a gaseous state, a Gelf? Ha, imagine their faces! That line is awesome, I may use that! :D Thanks for your review!

**Gummiebear – **Still won't let me type your username! Is that not weird or what!? Narnia and the Hobbit is what I was going for with the dwarves. I actually based their appearance on the recent release of the Hobbit. I don't remember which one is which, though… but Thorin is Gark. I am torturing my fans, but that's part of the fun, right? XD

**Arashi-Storm-Guardian – **Enid Blyton… haven't heard that name before, I may have to check him out. I have goblins planned for later, so I couldn't put them in just yet. Geez, everyone is already predicting everything correctly that I don't have any surprises left! And he only got her name right because A) Sanji just said it and B) I'm so used to writing 'Nami' I forgot to type it as something else. And that anti-phasing magic will be revealed this chapter!

**Seis Fleur – **Happy New Year to you! And even though I don't celebrate Christmas, hope you had a good one. And yes, the dwarves are similar to the Hobbits. That's what I was going for. Thanks for the review, and enjoy the update!

**Jabrax13 – **No worries. ;D Like I told Nami-Swannn, they have been going non-stop since Thriller Bark, so their stamina is low, their willpower is dwindling, and generally feeling like shit. I wouldn't put it past them that they are easily defeated. And yes, you shall find out what Robin wanted to say this chapter. It'll definitely be fluff. :D

**armaani – **Dragons are coming up! Werewolves, I haven't decided yet. Cerberus is on his way, and the Minotaur has his own moment to come! I have thought of everything, trust me. ;)

Chapter 8 – Broken and Shattered

"_Sometimes the only thing you have  
to doubt is your own common sense."  
Nico Robin_

_Robin POV_

I had known for a long time now. Longer than I would care to admit, but I knew it was me. Since I first read the legend aboard the ship, when I realized that it finally applied to us, I knew it was me. It was certainly not the easiest of discoveries, but a pleasant one nonetheless. I had poured over all the possibilities during our hardships to get to where we are now, and at first I refused to believe it. And when I finally gained the opportunity to share my thoughts with him in the boat, I was ready to tell him, because I knew he was there.

Zoro was there. I can't explain how I knew, but he just _was:_ a disturbance in the calm air, a flash of green from the corner of my eye, a voice in my head. At first I thought it was my own subconscious, berating me for being a fool and not looking through the second window. And then his voice warned me about my captors' attack, and that's when it slowly sank in that no, it wasn't my own mind, not my subconscious. He was with us, in spirit, watching over us.

I was terrified the dwarves would leave him behind while I went on. I didn't know what came over me; the short man only had to touch him and a rage boiled up inside my chest. The cuts on my hand flared, but it only added to my rush of sudden passion, to not damage the body further. What had it endured until now? A raging cyclone, nearly falling overboard, hung upside down from a pole, tumbling down a steep decline, and punctured with poisoned thorns? It was a dead body; it can't heal itself. True, it won't bleed or bruise, but imagine the physical pain Zoro would return to.

And yet, despite my rage, I couldn't help but internally laugh at the dwarves' assumption that he was under a sleeping spell. Of course, I had seen Unicorns and now dwarves, I had no doubt that spells such as that existed. And still, what the dwarf with a lisp, Ilfred-san, had said: "True Love's Kiss."

It sounded similar to the Legend I had memorized now: woman reviving the man in the waters of the River Chai. The term "reviving" could be interpreted different ways, but the meaning was still the same basic principal. And as we walked into the town of Loren, I couldn't help but compare the dwarf's term and our own, noting the similarities between them.

"The right side of the white oak," said Orin, and the great stone door slid open to admit us. I bloomed eyes from the back of my head, discreetly so that no one would notice. I searched frantically for that shimmer against a backdrop of hard grey stone, a flash of that secondary color that indicated Zoro's spirit, and there was none. It had completely vanished, invisible even to my eye, which had grown accustomed to picking out the right symbols of indication.

"Keep your head down," said Orin as a warning. "The ceiling is too low for humans to stand straight."

I did as he suggested, and crouched low to the dwarves' height. As soon as the door rolled shut, my extra eye vanished, and I was plunged into darkness. I could faintly hear the scufflings of the dwarves as they moved around, obviously used to the dim lighting. They conversed with another voice in some foreign language I didn't understand, even with my seemingly unlimited knowledge of linguistics. I wished heavily that I could generate light, but unfortunately, I could not. I hoped I wouldn't die of claustrophobia before I was able to bring Zoro to the highest temple.

Suddenly, a lantern flared up, lighting the room enough so that I could at least see the dim outlines of my captors. The flame danced in its cage, casting shadows all throughout the corners of the room. Doing a quick head count, I realized one more dwarf had joined us: this one with a black beard and dark eyes, a circlet of silver on his head and a thick, ornamented strap across his shoulder. He handed a second lantern to Orin, who proceeded to light it and give it to Droi, who took up the back of our procession. As more light flooded the room, I saw that inscribed on the back of the boulder that was the entrance to this hideout was an intricate circle with foreign letters wrapped around them, like some sort of enchantment.

"What is that?" I risked asking, nodding my head in the direction of the circle.

Ilfred looked to where I was gesturing. "That's a wards, that's is!" he said proudly. "Keeps aways the ghouls and others undesirables, y'see. Wes don't wants anybodys finding outs abouts this place."

That being said, he prodded me forward, and our group continued into the darkness, walking down a steep set of stairs and into the musty smell of the underground. As we walked, my back felt suddenly cold, like a warmth that had been there had vanished, and now I felt like death itself was crawling up my skin. If I couldn't feel Zoro's presence any longer, then that circle had to be the cause of it. _Keeps away the ghouls,_ Ilfred had said. Ghouls by definition were evil spirits or phantoms, robbing graves and feeding on dead flesh. Which, now that I think about it, would be very bad in my situation.

My eyes found Zoro's body, still lying on the litter strung between Irogan and Ilfred. With each wobbly yet sure-footed step, his head swayed from side to side limply like a rag doll. It reminded me of the times I used to bloom an eye inside the men's dorm late into the night and watch them sleep. It calmed me to know that people could sleep calmly when I was affiliated with them. I could help but smile as we continued down the steep stairwell.

We finally emerged in a huge room, tall enough for me to stand to full height. My back creaked from having been bent over for so long. The walls were lined with glowing torches, tiny creatures flittering inside the can. The ceiling was made of pure gem, what appeared to be a pearl of some sort, but this wasn't the correct environment for it to grow. At the far end of the circular cavern was a tall desk with another dwarf behind it. To either side of the desk, two doors led off from this place.

Orin approached the dwarf at the desk, a pudgy man with a light brown beard braided and thrown over his shoulder to prevent it getting into the ink on the paper he was scribbling on. "Bosi," he said. "I bring two for the auction tomorrow."

Bosi put down his quill and stared at me quizzically, and I studied him likewise. Our eyes locked, and he pursed his lip, settling back down. "First Yalen, pass. Second Yalen?"

"Medical," Droi whispered to me.

"She's touched the Crickle Thorn," was all Orin had to say before Bosi gestured toward the door on the right, where a sign written in a dwarven language probably indicated hospital wing.

"And the second?" Bosi stared hard at Zoro, who did not stare back. "He looks dead."

"We believe he is under a sleeping spell," Orin explained. "Angela has been pretty active this year, you know. And the Valkyrie do like to experiment…"

Bosi chewed the inside of his cheek. "In that case, go ahead and put him through Third. The female will follow after Second." That being said, he took up a long pole and smashed it against the pearl ceiling, where I could see several chips were already missing. As the pieces fell, Bosi drew out a pair of shackles from inside his desk and fit the pieces into a small hole in the lock. The cuffs glowed with a soft ivory white, then faded back into the black metal. Orin took the shackles and replaced my ropes with the cold metal. Bosi began scribbling once again on his roll of parchment, ignoring my captors.

"Ilfred and Irogan," Orin ordered the two carrying Zoro. "Take the sleeping one down that way, you know what to do. Droi and I shall take the female through Second Yalen and join you shortly."

The two dwarves nodded and hefted the litter to a more comfortable position on the shoulder and began walking to the left as Droi and Orin pulled me to the right. I resisted; I wouldn't let Zoro out of my sight. I didn't know what the Yalen were, and I wasn't going to take any chances with our separation. I didn't trust these slavers, and I didn't trust their culture, even if it was fascinating.

I managed to cross my oozing wrists over my chest, my eyes fixed on the retreating backs of the dwarves, but no limbs bloomed from the floor. I strained to sprout spare arms, but they did not appear, and soon I was overcome by Orin and Droi, and I lost sight of the swordsman. I cried out, commanding my captors to release me, unknown hysteria rising in my tone. I didn't want to be separated from him. Not since the warmth on my back had gone.

The hall I was lead down eventually expanded into a large room cemented to an off-white color. The musty scent had vanished to be replaced with one of sweet flowers and herbs Chopper used in his medicines. A line of beds sectioned off by curtains lined either side of the room like a hospital ward. Some shadows could be seen behind some of the curtains, many of them non-humanoid.

We were approached by a tall woman dressed in a long white lab coat and bearing a clipboard, resembling the one we had passed on the upper levels of the town: her skin was pale as death, her eyes glowing red, and when she smiled, her pointing canines were revealed through her black lips. "Second Yalen?"

Orin nodded.

"Where?"

"Her hands. She was touched by the Crickle Thorn."

The vampire smiled again, scribbling on her clipboard. "Drainage prescription," she said. "Xabian will see her."

"Vampire?" I whispered in awe.

"A what?" Droi grumbled. "No, she's Aluk. Descended from vampires, but not the same. They are specially bred to deal with infectious diseases which infect the blood."

The Aluk smiled again as she turned sharply on her heel and strolled back down the ward, I pulled along behind. Near the back of the ward, I was pushed through a second door into a small room with only a single bed, a hole in the corner and a simple sink. The walls were mirrored, so on all sides I could see only myself and my ragged appearance. With knotted, flyaway hair, ripped clothes and a wild look in my eye, I looked like I had just spent the night in the woods with no sleeping bag or tent with a pack of wild dogs.

The door was closed behind me, and I was left to sit on my own on the cot. I was reminded of the days I spent on my own the past twenty years, alone in my own solitude, filled with constant worry that this night might be my last. But now my worry was directed toward Zoro, and wherever he may be. I refused to refer to him as 'it'. I knew he was still there in spirit, and that he would return.

The minutes ticked by, and all I had to look at was myself in the mirror across from me. I passed the time attempting to free myself from the shackles, which proved in vain, and also to try again and blooming my limbs, once again with no results. I was nowhere near sea stone; I didn't feel the weakness and helplessness that usually accompanied the User's bane.

At one point, another pale Aluk entered the room with folded clothes in her hand, with the indication that I should change into them. I was now wearing a thick strip of durable satin across my breasts, leaving my chest, shoulders, and stomach bare. A long red skirt was wrapped around my waist, open at the hip, and ending in tassels mid-calf. It was a very exposing dress, but it was still very fashionable. I had tossed my old clothes in the corner. A pity. I really liked that outfit.

Finally, the door opened again to admit a tall black-haired Aluk, his red eyes framed by his long bangs. He wore an open neck black suit without a tie, allowing his collar to breathe freely. He held his arms out wide and smiled a toothy smile. "Xabian, Miss 24601," he said.

"24601?" I asked.

"Your number," Xabian explained, walking forward with still his arms open. "We do not take the time to learn names."

I held my chin high, determined not to show weakness. These people were a dangerous group, I could tell just by looking. "If you insist," I said, with a hint of ice in my tone. "What has become of my spell-ridden companion?"

Xabian tilted his head. "I have heard of no such person; only that you have suffered Crickle Thorn, and are in need of my skills."

I raised my cuffed hands to show him my oozing hands. The puncture wounds had begun to swell to a painfully large size, the skin red and yellow. The impish grin faded from Xabian's face, and he gently stroked his nimble fingers over my wounds, his black nails gently scraping against my skin. I braced myself for pain, but nothing was felt.

His expert hands poked and prodded at my hands for a good ten minutes, occasionally wiping his sandpapery tongue across the puncture wounds. His hair fell over my wrists, and I could not see whatever he was doing. I resisted the urge to recoil from his grasp. I had a vague idea of what he was doing, but the only doctor I trusted was Chopper, and I was not going to give myself over to some strange vampire-like man. A bolt of lightning spread through my arms as something sharp pricked my skin.

Xabian, finally content with his work, sat back with a smile, running his tongue over his teeth. "I am particularly fond of Crickle Thorn venom," he said, swallowing. "I don't leave a single cell behind."

My eyes widened, flipping my hands over from palm to back several times, just to make sure my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. What was left of the puncture wounds was now just simple white lines on my skin, and even they were slowly fading. Two holes on either side of my hand indicated where Xabian had punctured my skin to bleed the poison from my blood.

"What…?" I murmured, incredulous.

Xabian waved his hand dismissively. "T'was nothing. Do not think of it as an act of charity; you sell better healthy. If you will come with me, please. Leave your things behind."

I stood from the bed. I was reluctant to go with Xabian, but, whatever he had done, I was no longer infected with this strange Crickle Thorn venom, and I owed him something. He took me by the arm and led me back down the ward, ordering me to not look at the other patients. I obeyed, but curiosity nagged at my conscious. We had left the ward before it got the better of me.

We roamed through the labyrinth of corridors, the breath of the earth in my nose, the sounds of our footsteps echoing through the passages. We met no one on our way to wherever we were going, and I took the absence of distractions as an opportunity to create a map of this underground in my head, to possibly use as an escape route should it be needed.

"Xabian-san," I said as my guide paused at a fork in the tunnels. "What is this gem in my shackles? It… limits me." I was careful not to reveal my possession of Devil Fruit abilities. Should he know, it might not prove well in my favor.

"It's called Moon Pearl," said the dark-haired Aluk, coming to a decision and pulling me to the left. "It's embedded in every piece of restraining equipment."

"What does it do?"

He stopped and studied me with those glowing eyes. "You're not from around here."

"No. Shipwrecked." I said, dodging the entire truth.

His eyes narrowed, slowly walking forward again. "It's a stone found deep underground beneath the Four Towers. In the realm outside our own, its cousin is referred to _Kairoseki_, or sea prism stone. This gem is much more powerful; it neutralizes any super human abilities, and renders its victim to that of an average member of its distinct species."

"Why is it called the Moon Pearl if it's found so deep underground?" I continued, genuinely interested now. Bosi had placed that substance in my handcuffs, and it must be the cause of my inability to bloom extra limbs. At first I had assumed it to be the venom rendering me powerless. And I didn't feel weak at all, not like I was clamped in sea stone. I was at the average strength of a human woman? Interesting.

"It is said that it was discovered by the Moon Goddess, Lady Freyja, in a time known to the world as the Void Century, but the actual date is unknown to all."

I almost stopped walking. There was a jerk in my gait as the name took my by surprise, but I quickly regained my balance. _The Void Century. _"Does that mean that a poneglyph is on this island!?" I asked urgently.

He looked at me curiously. "Poneglyph?"

"Yes!" I didn't bother to hide the urgency and excitement in my voice. "It would be like a big tall cubic structure with a lot of strange writing on it!"

"Could it be you refer to the Cube of Caine?"

"The what?"

Xabian stopped walking. I could barely keep still; if this Cube of Caine was in fact a poneglyph, it might be the key to finally unlocking the True History. But it may also hold the key to granting audience with the 'mongrels' that lived high above on the Four Towers, which we appeared to be under at this very moment. Anything to get Zoro and I to the top and one step closer to the River Chai, whatever it was.

"The Cube of Caine belongs to the Moon Goddess Freyja, and is in the care of her twelve handmaidens, the Valkyrie, and is a mystery to us down below," Xabian explained carefully. "But there has been a rumor lately that the women up there are using their servants to unlock the secrets of it. That's why they only last a week; it's only a rumor of course."

My mind raced. "I volunteer, then," I said. "I will go to the Valkyrie as a servant and help them unlock its secrets."

The Aluk raised an eyebrow. "One does not simply volunteer to work for the Valkyrie. They're a very brutal group, selecting their closest servants from among the slain of battle. No one _volunteers._"

"Then I won't make it simple," I said, confidence building inside me. "How long until the auction?"

"Eight hours."

I cursed silently. That was over Zoro's time limit. Last I checked it had been about six hours and thirty-four minutes. Who knew how much time had passed, and how much time he had left. I went for a different tactic. "I need your help, Xabian-san," I said.

The Aluk smirked. "Know your place, 24601," he said. "You're going to the stock cells. Maybe you'll find your spell-ridden companion there." He spoke no more as we continued forward, but his hand wrapped tighter around my forearm, as if he was double-checking to make sure I didn't try to escape. I was too mind-boggled to even think about such a thing.

Valkyrie, Zoro, poneglyph. All the pieces to the puzzle had to fit somehow together, and somehow coincide to all lean to my advantage. Different scenarios and escape routes and strategies raced through my mind at top speed, and it was so distracting that when I finally jerked out of my trance, I found myself cuffed to a wall at the back of a large stone cell, the hem of my new skirt a bit dirty. I must have been locked away some time ago; Xabian was no where to be seen.

I looked to my right. Wall. To the left, I nearly cried with joy. Zoro was tethered to the wall at the farthest corner of the room, his ankle clasped with a Moon Pearl shackle. His bandages had been removed, and his entire body cleansed. The swordsman's body was now dressed in long black slacks and a loose-fitting white shirt, the sleeves billowing as a cold draft suddenly swept through the corridor through the tall bars across from me. Through the thin cloth, I could see the soft glow of the numbers on his forearm.

5:46:35

My shackles wouldn't allow me to reach him with my hand, and I felt like I couldn't believe he was actually there if I couldn't touch him. So I retreated back to the wall, still sitting as close to him as my restraints would allow. I drew my knees to my chest and rested my forehead in the crevice they made.

Only just under six hours left. I was without a plan, locked in a cell deep under the earth prepared for the life of a servant. My Hana Hana powers were useless, and quite frankly, I hadn't felt this helpless in twenty years. Even in Enies Lobby I had the knowledge my nakama were there for me. Now I had no idea what was going on out there, and I was scared.

I couldn't give up. Zoro needed me. He was depending on me. The entire crew was depending on me. Nami and Sanji were out there and needed my help, wherever they were. Luffy and the rest of the guys would be on their way promptly as well as soon they finished with the marines. I wiped away the tears I hadn't realized were streaking down my face. Sighing deeply to release tension, I stared in defiance at the bars.

_You won't defeat me. I'll break out of here. Zoro and I will go to the Valkyrie. I'lll read the Cube of Caine. I'll bring Zoro to the River Chai. We'll be reunited with the crew, and we'll sail on to the New World._

_Zoro, I want to say something._

_I love you._

**So. Like my meme? XD**

**Anyway… time is passing, Zoro's spirit is cut off from his body, there's so little time left, and apparently there's a poneglyph on the island! How cool is that? :D And what Robin wanted to say a few chapters has just been revealed. ^^ A little sappy, yes, but necessary. Review! If you know 24601, I will give you a cookie.**

**Rasaxe was kind enough to give me the idea of the Valkyrie, so thank you there. If anyone else has an idea, just shoot me a PM and I'll see if I can somehow incorporate it. ;D On that note, stay tuned for the next chapter!**

**Coming Up: Chapter 9 – Inside the Belly of the Beast**


	9. Inside the Belly of the Beast

**Due to exams, I haven't been able to update in a while. Why, you may ask? Yes, studying is important, but you're so smart! Because of one word: chemistry.**

**Yep. This person is not a chemist, nor ever will be. I've been swamped with that, but luckily all my new classes are ten times easier, so I'll be able to function quicker (hopefully). Grab a box of tissues… major ZoRobin fluff in this chapter. Find "Myst Melody" by Robyn Miller or "Lamentations of the Heart" by Philip Westley and listen to it while reading. Worth it. :D**

**graceling42, Gummiebear, and shadowangel9999 get cookies for catching the 24601 reference to Les Miserables! Yay! For those who don't know, it's Jean Valjean's prisoner number.**

**So I just finished the BBC series Sherlock and I'm amazed. Steven Moffat continues to blow my mind. I published a fic about it if anyone is interested. :D**

**I also went to my VERY FIRST ANIME CON the other day! I'm so happy! I'm now completely decked out in new One Piece gear (an Ace mouse pad I'm using now, several posters, a Luffy plushie, Sanji and Zoro collectable figurines, a mini replica of the Wado Ichimonji, and a jolly roger for Gold Roger. Plus a Happy plushie and a FMA State Alchemist Pocketwatch (and a Vic Mignogna signature!) I've been fangirling all day, and I complete this chapter wearing my new straw hat. :D Yay!**

**Review Corner:**

**Seis Fleur – **Eyes with sparkling stars, huh? Well, rainbows might pour out of your mouth by the time this story is over. XD Glad you loved it enough to go all caps. XD

**gracling42 – **I've seen Les Mis about eight times now. It's my third favorite musical (the first two Wicked and Phantom of the Opera) and it's just 'frakking' amazing! Haha, the Valkyrie were not my idea, actually. I hadn't meant to put them in but it just kinda… happened. Yes, more Robin POV this chapter. :)

**Rasaxe – **I'm not sure if Freyja was a Moon Goddess in Norse mythology but I'm just assuming. I'm more learned with Greek and Roman mythology than anything. I'm glad I'm getting a positive feedback from Robin's POV, I was positive I'd gotten something a bit off…

**Gummiebear – **It has Anne Hathaway in it. That makes it doubly stunning. My favorite song is On My Own and I've made it a personal goal in life to play Eponine just so I can sing that song. Maybe I'll go see it again tonight.

**Arashi-Storm-Guardian – **Imagine Xabian as… Callan McAuliffe, just a little older, paler, and with red eyes. Or Kyou from Black Bird. Sex god. XD I'm glad you like the ending. It seems everyone did. Miracles… maybe she should visit Miracle Max in Florin.

**adrasyd – **Next chapter, coming up! Thanks for your review, and enjoy!

**NinjaSheik – **No, not exactly the ideal place, but a confession nonetheless. I love me some dramatic irony. Well… if I did forget I'll subscribe when the next chapter is released (hopefully soon… eh? Eh? *wink wink*) I started on the digital coloring of that picture, but it's only the outline now. Still looks nice. :D And according to Photoshop, Zoro's shirt color is #d5d49d. Totally just realized I left off his earrings. *disappointed scowl* And thou shalt be please to know I now own the entire East Blue saga on DVD. :D

**shadowangel9999 – **Les Mis is the BEST! :D My favorite dwarf… Kili or Fili. I can't decide, they're both pretty awesome, even if they're not all that important to the actual story. Guy who plays Fili is cute. Enjoy the update!

**dragonscilvio – **Maybe not so much of Spirit!Zoro, but his body will definitely be there… heh. And you, missy, are talking to one of the most fanatic Zoro fangirls out there! Enjoy this installment! (I may not be able to make him 100 percent tangible, but I can definitely have him do something to draw away guards or something… I'll figure it out when I get to that bridge. ;D)

**Nami Swannn – **The Aluk are entirely of my own invention. They're creatures in one of my other stories I haven't started yet, but have mapped out and may post it within the year if I feel up to it. Glad you think they're awesome. ;)

**ieatcookies – **You'd be surprised; I know a lot of really good ZoRobin fanfictions throughout this archive. If you try some of the communities, you'll likely find a fair collection. Thanks for your review, and enjoy the update!

**Jabrax13 – **I am cutting it close, aren't I? But that adds to the tension, doesn't it? You don't know how they'll get out, but I do. And not to mention the poneglyph is there and Robin'll want to read that. So many things happening at once, I'm surprised I haven't driven myself insane yet. XD

**DirectionallyChallengedKensh i – **Good to have you back on board! I'M GLAD YOU DIDN'T WANT TO STOP READING, IT REALLY MEANS A LOT. I'M UPDATING NOW… YOU CAN STOP SCREAMNG! You're amazing. n_n

**Tare-chan – **Wow, thanks for the uber long review! Thanks so much! I don't remember how this idea got started… I think somehow it's like a melting pot of a million different myths mushed together with my own twist on it. And yes, the finding of Myth Island was a bit too "easy" but that's only because I thought of a better way to do it recently but I'm too far into the story to go back and change it. XD And yes, for me ICness is critical in any story. Should Zoro ever legit loose his memory, I honestly think he'd call Sanji "Sandy" because of his hair. My sister laughed, too. And I can't have nine pirates tromping through a weird "mystery island" as Luffy would put it while still trying to focus on the storyline. It'll get confusing for me. The group will soon be reunited though. :D Thanks again for the review, and enjoy the update!

**Awesome, AWESOME people right there. I love you all! :D**

Chapter 9 – Inside the Belly of the Beast

"_Speed, power. When facing me… they mean nothing._**"  
**_Nico Robin_

_Robin POV_

I only knew how much time passed by the numbers on his arm. One hour I sat in that cell, rubbing my bare arms to keep warm and blocking out the sounds of clanking metal that were my chains. No one came through the corridor outside my cell, not even to bring a meal. My stomach rumbled, and I shushed it quietly. I couldn't afford to let myself get weak from lack of sustenance. I had yet to figure out a way of escape. Once I removed the Moon Pearl I could easily break free.

The seconds ticked by. My movements became desperate and shaky, with only four hours left. My wrist was rubbed red from constant pressure against the Moon Pearl cuffs, trying to slide it through, but I had no such luck. The only option seemed to break my wrist, but I was hesitant. Even if it meant Zoro's return, I was not sadistic, and was not looking forward to escaping with a hundred broken wrists. The thought was already sending sparks of pain up my arms.

I looked at Zoro again. His skin was pale as an Aluk, lips drained of all color and hair limp and dead across his wide forehead. When bodies lose their lives, it immediately begins to break down into gas and decay. It had only been about a day in a half since his sacrifice, but already it was losing form. I had been around plenty of bodies in my day, but never one of someone I truly cared about, more than I should. It sickened me.

I breathed heavily through my nose, finally resigning myself to the inevitable. Breaking my wrists would be the only option to get out of this mess. I sucked my bottom lip and ripped a shred of cloth from my skirt, stuffing it inside my mouth, preparing myself for the pain.

_Snap! _My bones shattered with the sound like a gunshot. I bit down hard on the cloth, whimpering through the tears suddenly leaking down my face. I dared not move for a minute, straining for the sound of a guard's boots clicking across the hard cobble ground, but none came, and I allowed myself a quiet squeak of pain. This was not the first time I'd broken a bone, but the pain still got to me. Struggling to remain as silent as possible, I slipped my wrists through my Moon Pearl cuffs, sliding them gently to the ground. I spat the cloth from my mouth, grimacing in pain.

I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but no sudden surge of energy flared to life in my veins as my abilities returned. I shouldn't have thought something childish like that. As it was, with both hands practically immobile, I would have some trouble sliding Zoro free from his own restraints.

Luckily for me, my dominant wrist had retained less damage than my left, and did not hurt as bad when it moved; my fingers twitched, but moved all the same. Perhaps even more luckily, the Aluk or dwarves or whoever had locked Zoro up had been careless, and the shackle binding his ankle was a size too large, and his foot slid cleanly through. His skin was cool to the touch, and I felt another surge of tears welding behind my eyes.

I walked to the cell door, cradling both wrists in the opposite armpit as if that would somehow ease the throbbing. It was highly likely this metal was constructed of Moon Pearl as well. The best way to get the key is to lure it from the guard, but there were two problems with that plan. One: it would alert the guard that I had somehow escaped my restraints, and two: there was no guard to begin with.

I experimented with my current abilities, blooming various body parts inside and outside the cell doors, finding that as long as I was careful to not touch metal, I was on free reign with my powers. With each hand that I bloomed, the pain in my wrists doubled, and at ten hands I reached my maximum capacity of silence.

I breathed deeply, struggling to control my lungs. My limbs disappeared in a puff of petals, and I rested for a moment to ease my mind from the thousand knifes stabbing my wrists. Steeling myself, I bloomed eyes up and down the corridor, scanning for the keys to this cell. It was harder than I imagined; to bloom eyes in places I've never been before can be exhausting, and it required a period of rest between expeditions.

Luck was with me; I spotted a flash of silver just at the end of the corridor, and upon closer inspection, it was revealed that a single key hung from the silver ring. A hand grew from the wall and stole the key from its place, passing it along back down the corridor to where I was imprisoned.

The key slid under the cage bars. The hand that did so brushed the iron, and disappeared suddenly without my will. _It is Moon Pearl,_ I confirmed, kneeling to scoop up the ring. Navigating myself to the bars, I fit the key into the lock and twisted it. The barred door swung open on silent hinges, and I stepped out into the hallway cautiously, glancing up and down through the darkness. Feet supporting the swordsman's body followed me out, and I laughed silently as I remembered back on the Sky Island when he had been electrocuted by the false god, and I walked him up to the next cloud level in the same manner.

Since I had been spacing out on the way into the corridor, I did not know which direction was the exit. Trusting my instincts, I took a right turn and walked quietly away, four extra pairs of my feet following. The air was cold, and I rubbed my bare arms as best I could. The pain had faded to a dull throb, but it still spiked suddenly at random intervals.

I struggled to control the cold that prickled my skin by focusing on other warming thoughts, mainly focusing around memories I secretly hoped to have in the future, though I would never admit these desire aloud. When I was a child, I watched other children playing with their parents, and I had thought to myself, _When I have children, I won't leave them behind. They won't grow up like I did._ And after the Buster Call, I thought that vision had ended. No one would love a demon from the forbidden country, with dirty Oharan blood running through her veins. My face was all over the world, and everyone knew my name.

And I felt when I finally joined Luffy's crew, I had something to live for. Here were people who cared about me, who loved me and didn't care about my past. And here was Zoro. Happy, not a care in the world except for his own ambition. He didn't care that other people called him a demon, unlike me, though I would never show it. He didn't care how other people saw him, he was only focused on his goals of World's Greatest Swordsman. I didn't know his past, nor his reasoning behind it; there was no need. We were the demons of the world, each sacrificing anything and everything to achieve our own goals.

My sub-dream resurfaced. I unintentionally began dreaming of my children, laughing and smiling, playing with their father's katana while I read them a bedtime story. It was a horrifying thought at first, because at the time it had only been a month since I had become a Straw Hat. Were those feelings manifesting since the beginning? Did I really feel this way? I watched the swordsman closely the next week, and he didn't seem to act any differently than usual. Did he have similar dreams? Was he as good at hiding it as I was? Normally I could read people like an open book, but the swordsman was a mystery novel to me… taking the plot one step at a time and trying to figure out who the killer is before it's revealed.

I remembered our escape from Enies Lobby, standing on the deck of the beloved Merry, crying and thanking my nakama with all the power of my heart. "_Save the thanks until after we've escaped," _he had said, and I laughed as Sanji and Chopper attacked him. Even then, with us reunited, he was still the same. Nothing could faze him. And he told me later in private, "_Don't think we wouldn't come for you. We're not the kind of people who would let others, especially nakama, die for them."_

So why did he do exactly what I had wanted to do? Sacrifice myself and die for the sake of the crew? I had listened to Brook's story of Zoro's willingness to give himself up for Luffy, and I sat in stunned silence as everyone rowed with all their power, my eyes occasionally finding that small spark of green near where Zoro used to sleep on the deck. Why not follow your own advice? I wondered as Sanji, Nami and I trekked through the woods, watching the body's limp head sway from side to side as if he were only sleeping. I could almost hear him snoring.

Something hot breathed down my neck. I stopped walking, goosebumps running down my spine. I didn't turn around immediately, my ears straining to place the sudden ragged breathing that had joined my echoing footsteps. Scrolling through the knowledge I had, I eventually came to the conclusion of _monster._ Not the most specific of deductions, but at best it was what I could do.

My feet moved Zoro's body a little ahead of me, and I turned slowly, the hot breath on my neck now blowing in my face as I stared in horror at the huge humanoid creature looming over me. My eyes started at his legs, cloven hooves spread wide apart on the hairless hindquarters of a huge goat or cow. As my eyes moved up to its torso, thick black hairs sprouted across its body, covering its entire head, chest, and ripped arms. The creature's entire body was bulging with muscles, rippling as it shifted balance. Its head was that of a massive bull, with huge horns sprouting from the peak of its head. Beady eyes stared down at me, its wet nose glistening in the light of a torch in the wall. It breathed heavily, stink of rotting meat meeting my nostrils. How had this giant managed to sneak up on me?

"A minotaur," I breathed, backing up a step. "The guard?"

Suddenly, the monster let out a long loud bellow, the deep-throated sound reverberating down the long corridor and pounding on my eardrums. I tried shushing him, but it didn't acknowledge me. It was obviously alerting the Aluk to my escape attempt, and that was something I couldn't have. I began running down the hall, away from the Minotaur, keeping Zoro right next to me so I wouldn't loose him. I bloomed eyes to guide my way, and still keeping an eye on the Minotaur, which had taken off in hot pursuit, still bellowing.

I took a sharp right turn, skidding to a halt as I swerved into a blocked off corridor, the brick worn with age. I whipped around to retrace my steps, but the exit had been blocked by the ancient creature, snorting and dragging a hoof across the ground. I cursed for allowing myself to get cornered. I doubted with my broken wrists I could take on such a huge creature, all the while trying to protect Zoro. I grimaced, crossing my arms over my chest anyway. It was the only option.

"Now, now," said a voice. "We don't want you having to go break those pretty little arms of yours, do we?"

The Minotaur backed off to reveal a group of ten Aluk, all wearing tailored black suits stark against their pale skin, and all smiling with an unkind aura. I spotted Xabian among them, his smile a little less intimidating than the others. I backed up another step, my back pressing against the wall. They took a step forward.

The owner of the first voice smiled wider, holding out three fingers. "Stock 24601," he said, his voice like nails on chalkboard. "On the count of three, walk forward. I promise the Minotaur won't kill you. Just take an arm or a leg. And then we'll see if you're still available for sale."

I shook my head, not lowering my arms. I wasn't intimidated by his threat, but I still didn't dare try and perform a _Clutch._ Not yet. Not while I could still negotiate.

"Please," I began. "Let me go. There is something I must do before I am sold."

"Three."

"I need to reach the Valkyrie!" My eyes found Xabian. "Help me find the Pone – Cube of Caine!"

The Aluk did not return my gaze.

"Two."

"The man I love is dying and the only way to save him is to take him to the Valkyrie! Please! _Help me!"_ My voice rose to a scream, tears leaking from my eyes.

"One."

I raised my head, frustration evident in my features, even through the tears carving shining paths down my cheeks. This was the only way. _"Trienta…!"_

"ROOOOOOBIIIIIIIN-CHWAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!"

My heart leapt. The Aluk whipped around, but not fast enough. Over the Minotaur's shoulder, I spotted a flash of yellow, followed by the crackling sound of electricity. The cloud above their heads suddenly exploded into light, lightning crackling over their heads. I threw myself over the body as the screams of pain from the Aluk and Minotaur rose above the sound of streaking electricity.

Smoking bodies hit the ground with a thump, billows of steam rising from the mouths. I blinked the tears from my eyes and turned around, a smile lighting my face.

"You bastards," said a wonderfully familiar voice. "Trying to hurt my Robin-chan! _Your knight in shining armor is here, my princess~!"_

"Shush, Sanji-kun," said a female voice. "The others will hear us!"

The smoke cleared, and the wonderful features of the Straw Hat cook and navigator appeared, both beaten and bruised, but alive and as energetic as ever. Our eyes met, and we all rushed together in a large hug. I was never one for such close contact, but it was good to feel the warmth of their bodies against mine, driving out the cold of loneliness, hopelessness and solitude. I involuntarily began to weep again, partially from sadness and the other part from laughter; the cook looked practically ready to explode from joy. As our group embraced, I spotted a flash of green.

We finally all parted, holding each other at arms length to examine the other. Sanji looked no worse for wear, his hair matted and his clothes torn and dirty. Wounds on his bare feet oozed blood, but he didn't seem to notice. Nami had attempted to keep herself in order, but had no such luck. Her Thriller Bark tee was barely covering her body now, her shoes missing and shorts ripped at the hem. Her smoking Climatact was in her belt, and I marveled at how it had not been confiscated.

"How did you get here?" I asked, genuinely curious.

Nami and Sanji exchanged glances. "You probably won't believe us," the navigator said.

"It was the weirdest sensation," Sanji said, looking at his hands. "It was like I had been submerged in a tub of boiling water; I was hot all over, and I started sweating."

"It was on our way to Loren," Nami put in. "In the town."

"I had this sudden image in my head," Sanji continued. "Like a mental map. I don't know how, but I just suddenly knew where to go. One of the dwarves was carrying Nami-san's Climatact, so I pretended to stumble, and tripped him, grabbing it and… well…"

"We somehow managed to escape," Nami took up the story. "I don't know where our captors are now; we just kinda left them in the street. But Sanji's apparent map was leading the way. Took us down this alley, backtracked a couple of times…"

"It was like that damn marimo was trying to give us directions," Sanji muttered. "And we eventually came to a giant boulder set into this cliff. This is where it gets weird… I heard Zoro's voice. In my head."

I struggled to show no emotion. It wasn't just me? I hadn't been imagining anything? Zoro's spirit really could talk to us? And if he had led Sanji and Nami here… that means he had been with me until our separation because of the Ghoul Ward. It also meant he was here now.

"It told me…" Sanji took on an imitation of Zoro's voice. "_Knock four times and answer, 'The right side of the white oak.' _So I did."

I listened intently as Sanji and Nami switched off, relaying their struggle through the maze that was this underground slave market. They encountered several Aluk along the way, taking turns to defeat them. Finally, Sanji admitted to hearing the bellow of the Minotaur, following the sound and finally homing in on my location with my scream for help.

"By the way, Robin," Nami nudged me. "Is what you really said true?"

"What do you mean?"

Nami smirked. "'The man I love is dying…?"

A flush crept up my cheeks. "It was a lie. I was attempting the sympathy tactic."

The navigator's eyes showed her as not believing me, but she let the subject drop. Her eyes found the swordsman's body, still suspended by my pairs of feet. "So what happened to you, then?"

"24601."

We whipped around. The lead Aluk was on his feet again, one hand against the wall for support. His red eyes glowed with anger as he raised an angry finger aimed at my chest. I met his eyes, unafraid. I was not alone anymore. I was not powerless. Yes, my wrists are broken. Yes, I'm burdened. No, I'm not alone.

"You will come with me," the medical vampire hissed. "No one has ever escaped from this cavern, and I will not have our reputation tarnished by mere _humans._"

He leapt forward, moving blindingly fast. An image flashed in my subconscious, of a man with long dark black hair, thin, uncaring eyes, and a pigeon perched on his shoulder. No, this Aluk moved much faster than that. He left not even a dust of wind behind. My eyes scanned my surroundings, waiting for anything…

A sharp pain exploded in my calf. With a cry, I collapsed to one knee, Zoro's body thudding to the ground as the feet supporting it disappeared. Two bite wounds oozed a purple liquid, running down the back of my leg and pooling around my ankle.

"Robin-chan!" Sanji yelled.

"Robin!" Nami cried.

I gripped the puncture wounds as the Aluk reappeared where he had been standing before, wiping the back of his hand across his black lips. "Give that a few minutes to set," he smiled evilly. "And we'll be on our way."

The other Aluk slowly began to regain consciousness, standing on one another for support, yet still as angered as the first. Xabian's eyes were narrow with hate, and I pitied him. The vampires advanced, reaching out their hands for us. Nami raised her Climatact, but it was quickly knocked from her hands by a swipe quicker than you could blink. Sanji looked slightly unsteady on his feet; blood loss was finally getting to him.

Even with these nakama, we were still disadvantaged. I closed my eyes. _Please, _I prayed. _If there is such a thing as god on this island, please. Help us._

"Come here, 24601!"

Light exploded in the room, penetrating every dark corner and making the entire corridor burst with white. The Aluk screeched as the brightness burned their skin, ducking to hide behind the huge mass that was the still unconscious Minotaur. Sanji gathered Nami and I in his arms, turning his back to take the full blast of the light and protect us. His hand brushed against my wrists, and another flare of pain raced up my arms. I had almost forgotten my wrists were shattered. I disregarded the pain as my eyes fixed on Zoro, the light making his pale face even more devoid of color, looking like one of the Ghost Princess's Negative Ghosts. I looked for that telltale flash of green that I had cherished on this journey, but none caught my eye. The warmth from my back was gone again.

The white retracted, gathering into one tall mass near the center of the room, in the view of everyone around it. All pairs of eyes stared, transfixed at the shining column. Us Straw Hats stood slowly, me leaning on Sanji's shoulder for support. My calf was completely numb; I couldn't feel it. The light turned steamy as if vaporizing all the moisture in the air. The mist curled from the source like smoke from a fire, twisting and curling gracefully like ballet dancers. The peak of the source began to spark with tiny stars, and as we watched, the sparks expanded, sliding down the tall column of light, transforming it into a human being.

Sanji tensed, his eyes wider than bowling balls. His cheeks turned hot, and he swallowed sharply. "Am I dead?" he whispered. "Did I die and go to heaven?"

He might certainly have been close. The sparks finally reached the person's feet, dissipating into the hard stone ground and completing the transformation. Standing before us now was a beautiful woman, dressed in an elegant gown of ivory silk, twisting around her feet as it was blown by a nonexistent breeze. Long white hair fell in waves down her back, perfectly crimped bangs on framing her face like a portrait frame. Around her neck hung a necklace of pure diamond, matching the gems dangling from her ears. A circlet of silver adorned her head, an emerald hanging as a bead over her forehead, like a _bindi._ When she opened her eyes, the pure blueness of them reminded me of the cerulean sky after a storm.

Sanji collapsed, his breathing increasing dangerously. I swayed, unsteady on my feet, but finding support with the wall. Blood seeped from the cook's nose, staining his chin as his eyes rolled up inside his head, falling back against the cold ground. A masochistic grin plastered itself to his lips, his one visible eye transforming into a rapidly beating heart. Nami knelt by his side, rolling her eyes and attempting to revive the decommissioned cook. I stood my ground, and watched as the woman turned her head first to the Aluk, eyes stern. She kept her hands folded in front of her, but I could see them tense with her gaze. The Aluk who had threatened me stood from his spot, looking apologetic.

"My Lady," he said, somewhat insincerely, and bowed low at the waist. "What honor brings you here?

"Lady Freyja sends me," the woman said, her voice like bells. "She has heard the cry and sends me to collect."

_Is she a Valkyrie?_ I wondered in awe, unable to take my eyes from the sight.

Her eyes turned to me. "Yes. I am. You will refer to me as Antinodea."

_She's telepathic._ I marveled as Antinodea returned her gaze to the groveling Aluk. "They will come with me," she said. "All three."

"Three?" Nami spoke up.

"Yes. You. The other woman. And the dead man. The blonde stays behind."

"Why!?" Nami said harshly. "We all go, or none at all!"

"No living man may enter our Kingdom of Valhalla," Antinodea explained, not bothering to contain the slight harshness in her tone. "Our world is a place where those chosen among the slain of battle may become the warriors of Valhalla. The Valkyrie choose only the finest of men's souls, for them to join us in the above palace." She smiled coyly. "We serve mead to them… among other things they desire."

I shifted restlessly on my feet. _Those slain in battle._ My eyes found Zoro again. _Does sacrificing yourself when no one is around make you worthy?_

"I don't care what you serve them!" Nami growled, standing up from the cook's side. Sanji was mumbling something incoherent under his breath, that goofy smile still etched in his features. I caught something along the lines of _"Oh angels in heaven… come to me… with those huge boobs of yours…"_

"Either Sanji-kun goes with us, or you don't get… anything!"

Antinodea grimaced, not a good expression on a face such as hers. I could almost see the gears turning in her brain, what to do, what to do!

Finally, she let out a light sigh. "Very well." She raised her hands to the ceiling, closing her eyes and moving her lips silently. A beam of pure sunlight pierced the earth, shining in a perfect circle on the floor in front of us. Antinodea gestured to the light. "Please. Proceed."

"Sanji!" Nami slapped him. "Get up."

It was no use. Resigning herself, Nami hooked her arms around his armpits and dragged him inside the light beam. In a flash, the navigator and chef disappeared.

"Where did they go?" I asked.

"Valhalla," was the concise reply. "The body." Antinodea raised her hand, and the swordsman's body suddenly levitated into the air, floating toward us and into the light. _Fwooom!_ Gone.

It was my turn. I took a step forward, but I suddenly felt something latch onto my shoulder, and I stumbled, tumbling backward into the light. I caught a glimpse of burning red eyes full of hate before the world flashed into white, and I felt the sensation of falling.

**Phew! This is my longest chapter yet! I'm proud of myself! :D**

**For those who don't know, a **_**bindi**_** is that little red dot (or other sort of decoration) Indian women (as in India, not Native American) have on their foreheads between the eyes, which is said to be the place of concealed wisdom (6****th**** chakra **_**ajna**_**). I just think it's so cool. :D**

**I've altered the design of the Valkyrie just a little bit to better fit my plans, but I still think Antinodea is pretty awesome. Right? :) Poor Sanji, almost left behind. Still, one step closer to getting Zoro back! Speaking of whom, we shall return to his story next chapter! So stay tuned, and please review!**

**Coming Up: Chapter 10 – No More Pain**


	10. No More Pain

**So I just spent the last ten minutes watching this video on YouTube when Zoro falls into a sandpit in an Alabasta desert-journey filler episode. Just watching him fall over and over and over again. If Zoro were real, I'm pretty sure I'd be dead right now, but it is so funny. His face and the surprised noise he makes… X'D**

**Ahem. Back to relevance, 'tis chapter 10! In all honesty, when I planned this story out, I did not foresee it lasting this long! Yippee! There's a little ZoSan nakamaship in this chapter that was kind of unintentional, but it's there. And I have more good news! I've concocted a sequel to this! Depending on your input, I'll go ahead and RD the first chapter so it will be released about a day or so after the completion of this. What d'ya say!? ;D If you are for it, look for it in my poll on my page and vote!**

**Anyway, enjoy this chapter and don't forget to review!**

**Review Corner:**

**xXwendyXx3 – **I'm sorry I kept you waiting. But the wait was worth it, right? Zoro should return soon, I promise. :)

**Rasaxe – **I AM GOOD. Scandinavian moon goddess. I didn't research her or anything, and I just so happened to be right! That makes my day. And even better, Freyja fits all the other aspects in this story. Nice pick. Side note, I listened to "Haning on By A Thread" and it's actually very good. I like it. :D Enjoy the update!

**DirectionallyChallengedKensh i – **YES THEY ARE NEAR ZORO'S REVIVAL! BUT NOT YET! I actually don't know how many chapters there will be… however many it takes to finish up. If I had to put a number on it… six? Seven more until it's done? No idea. How many do you want?

**Jabrax13 – **Yes, stupid chemistry exam is long over. I worked hard to get this chapter up quickly. I'm glad you loved it; I figured it was finally time for some fluff in here, it's been a bit serious so far. The Aluk are kind of assholes, aren't they? But they run a business. Like the Shaboady Slave Auctions. You'll find out what happens to Zoro in Valhalla this chapter, I promise. :D Don't hate Xabian; the one who injected her with Crickle Thorn venom was the unnamed lead Aluk, but that's all I'm saying on that. XD I love long reviews, no need to apologize. Enjoy the update!

**NinjaSheik – **Well, this is Myth Island, there's gonna be mythology in there. I found the Sherlock manga, btw, and it's SUPER awesome. :D Almost done with the Photoshop picture… looks awesome.

**dukefan01 – **Haha, thanks! I love this pairing, too!

**ieatcookies – **I wouldn't mind either, but too long chapters are the death of long stories. Thanks for your support of Robin's POV; for some reason, I always think I get something wrong. Antinodea's entrance was hard to describe, and I'm not exactly sure everyone pictured what I did, but hopefully you did. Did you explore those communities I PMed you?

**dragoscilvio – **Nami's built a lie detector for everyone on the planet! XD Even though Rise of the Guardians is mostly about Christian fantasies (Santa, Easter Bunny, Jack Frost…), I have to admit, Jack is pretty cute. Why is it that all the really cute guys are fictional? Zoro, Percy, Jace, Natsu, Light, Tamaki, Tomoya… Grrrr. YOU SAW PotO ON STAGE!? You lucky jerk! But I've seen Wicked about six times on stage, still blows me away every time.

**Gummiebear – **Two tissue boxes!? I thought I only said one… Haha, sorry for taking a while to update. I had those exams, you know. Hopefully, this was faster for you.

**graceling42 – **I couldn't get into Legally Blonde. Saw it, thought it was good, but not as superb as Les Mis, Phantom, or Wicked. Sometimes I suspect that Steven Moffat directs Les Mis, because everybody dies. But then I remind myself that he didn't, but I blame him anyway. XD I've never broken any bones before, so I'm not sure how it feels… did I get it right? Thank Percy Jackson for my knowledge of Greek mythology (more coming of that). Thanks, and enjoy the update!

**shadowangel9999 – **You are very welcome for that cliffhanger. :D I am, in fact, a Wholockian. Season 3 in 2014!? I can't wait that long! I need to know the true story behind the Richenbach Fall! I'm obsessed with the theories of the whole fiasco, and it's killing me.

**Nami Swannn – **Screaming, that's what I was going for! Yay! Thanks so much for your support, it means a lot. Enjoy the update!

**Yoshimaru – **You'll find out what he thought this chapter! Yes, an FMA pocket watch with "Don't Forget: Oct 3 11" written inside and Vic Mignogna's autograph on the back. *_*

**Guest – **Thanks for your review! You know, you're the third person to tell me I write like Oda's manga… I think this is a sign. XD Naw, I don't think so. But thanks. :)

**Tare-chan – **That is strange; you're on the following list, I just checked. Maybe you did get an email and accidentally overlooked it…? Anyway, true to your word, you're a true Robin fanatic! For some reason, I always think I got her a bit wrong, what with her heartwarming side and all, then I remind myself this is a ZoRo fic and it's supposed to be that way. As for the wrist-breaking, it's done a lot. It's something about the bones being broken which makes it bend in ways it shouldn't, which then allows easier maneuvering through the cuffs. Different angles or something. It's hard to find decent quotes; a lot of them are conversational, and I just need the one… but thanks. Got the idea from NinjaSheik's _Akuma's Love Voyage._ Enjoy Zoro's POV! And the twist at the end… *insert evil laugh here *

**armaani – **"Impale Down". XD Impel. Yes, I suppose she's joined that group, even though she didn't try to cut her hands off. Zoro's katana were left on the ship, so she didn't have anything to use. Before I know it, my head will be swimming with so much mythology, I'm going to spontaneously combust. But hopefully, not before this is over. :D

**When reviews take two pages of a Word document to answer, you know you've got some awesome reviewers following you. Thank you everyone!**

Chapter 10 – No More Pain

"_There is someone I must meet again.  
And until that day, not even  
death itself can take my life away!"  
Roronoa Zoro_

_Zoro POV_

_Where the hell are they!?_

I whipped around another corner, skidding to a halt just before I overshadowed some abnormally tall man covered in scars. His nails were ridiculously long too, like claws. He was yelling at a tiny wrinkled man-creature in a door to what I assumed was a pawnshop of some sort, his pointed teeth bared and his lip curling. I backed away from him and took off again down the street, my eyes scanning each face for those somewhat-familiar features. The stubby man jabbed his gnarly finger at his aggressor, yelling something about their company not selling goblin-made fang and claw accessories.

I was growing desperate. With only the memories of something called a Davy Back Fight in my head, it was difficult to remember exactly what their names were. It was impossible to overshadow one of these creatures to search their memories of having heard that name, or where the owner of said title would be heading. But I could only recall _S _and_ N. _Samantha and Nick? Sinji and Neji? Wrong gender? I was ready to claw my own eyes out with frustration, but not before I reminded myself that I would remember when I saw them.

Even if I couldn't remember their names, I knew they were my only hope. I remembered they were my nakama, and that they were powerful enough to help me rescue Raven. If that was her name; I couldn't recall. It was scary, not knowing the names of my nakama. I remembered Franky and Brook, but how long until they slipped from my grasp?

I was so caught up in my worrying, I almost missed the party of eight strolling leisurely through the center of the town. I stopped just before overshadowing a deathly-pale guy wrapped in a black hoodie, analyzing the tallest two of the eight. Beaten up, bruised, bleeding, limping, in the girl's case sobbing, the two wobbled along, tied and gagged and basically dragged behind the five miniaturized men strutting proudly behind their leader.

I recognized the lead dwarf. He was the one Orin had called Gark. He was the guy who had captured… Sandy and Namizou! My eyes found the blonde and redhead again. Yes. There was no way I could forget how much that stupid eyebrow pissed me off. I grinned stupidly and ran up to meet them, feeling like a shitton of weight was suddenly lifted from my shoulders, only to be replaced with yet another shitton of problems.

The cook and navigator looked horrible, both bruised and bleeding and looking generally like they'd just endured a hurricane with nothing but an umbrella. Sandy's shoes were gone, and two thick gashes oozed red liquid on his feet. Nana was lying curled in a ball on a wooden cart much too small for her body. Blood was leaking into her eyes from a cut on her temple, but that was the worst of her injuries. Her Climatact was gone, and that could prove to be problematic.

I followed the party for a long time, unable to figure out what to do. At one point, one of the dwarves had pulled back his cloak, and I spotted the bright blue that was Nana's weapon. Since, I had been concocting a plan to somehow wrestle the device from his belt, but unfortunately, every plan involved overshadowing the dwarf, and I didn't feel like halving my height like that.

Suddenly, Sandy collapsed to one knee, his head bowed as he heaved in a ragged breath. The dwarf holding the Climatact beat him round the head with a club, and spots of red littered the dirt between the cook's knees. An idea slowly morphed inside my head, and I stepped forward to overshadow the resting chef.

A hot feeling spread throughout Sandy's body. _Damn, it's sweltering, _the blonde stressed. _Since when was it this hot?_ Sandy/I could feel the sweat starting to slide between the shoulder blades. I was curious as to why the cook had suddenly started sweating; it hadn't happened other times when I overshadowed people.

Still, I was in his body for a reason. To the best of my ability, I connected my and Sandy's mind so our thougths were shared. I remembered the path Raven and I had gone before we had been separated by that stupid rock. Right, left… right again, no wait, it was a left. Through a sewer, another left…

_What the hell!? _Sandy's brain was torn between fighting off the connection and figuring out what it meant. _What the hell is this? A map? What for?_

"Get up," said Gark, using the tip of his sword to tilt Sandy's/my chin up to face him. I was distracted from my task, and the images faded as our thoughts were forced apart. From this angle, looking up at the menacing man, he looked like a shitty giant rather than a three-foot dwarf. Still, a wave of anger and fear swept over Sandy and I. I took advantage of the emotions and channeled this anger into forcibly diverting my host's gaze from the leader and over at the one who had slugged him over the head, eyes finding the Climatact hidden beneath the cloak.

_There!_ Sandy's brain clicked. Now that he knew the location of that damn thing, he could get it himself. I withdrew from the cook and stood back to watch, arms crossed lazily across my chest.

Santa lurched to his feet, swaying. Even with my limited memories of the man, I could tell immediately, his unsteady stance was an act. I couldn't tell how, but I just knew. He took one step forward, and collapsed again to his hands and knees, elbows digging into the hard sandy street. Gark growled something in a weird language to his subordinates, who advanced on the fallen pirate with menacing glares. His face shadowed by his hair, Santa's lips curled into a smile.

In one fluid motion, he rose to his hands and spread his legs far out to either side, twisting in a circle. _"Party Table Kick Course!"_

The dwarves yelled as dirty, bloody feet crashed into their faces. The ones who didn't get kicked were suddenly lifted into the air as the ropes wrapped tightly around Santa's ankles began to whip around rapidly, the dwarf still attatched on the other end. Several rope burns later, all dwarves but three lay scattered in the street. The dwarf in possession of the Climatact had landed a foot away from Sandy, now finishing the move and landing in a crouch, his eyes fixated on the blue tube tucked into the man's belt.

The weight on his legs gone, Sandy walked easily over and plucked the weapon from its captor. Gark and his subordinates stood open mouthed at the display of power, obviously under the impression both their captives were decommissioned.

"Damn," Sandy muttered, examining the ropes around his wrists. They had loosed slightly from the attack, but now they suddenly tightened around his hands, skin rubbed red and raw. "If that marimo were here, he could snap these in an instant." His expression turned thoughtful. "Maybe I _should_ work on some upper body strength…"

"Hold it," Gark interrupted, finally coming to his senses and aiming his crossbow at Sandy's chest. "But down the… weapon… and I won't kill you."

"Nami-san," Sandy said, kneeling by the orange-haired woman lying on the wooden cart. "Are you allright?"

"I think so," she moaned as he began to untie her wrists. "You?"

"PAY ATTENTION TO ME!" Gark screeched, loosing the arrow. Sandy barely dodged, the shaft slicing open a new gash on his upper arm. The blonde curled his lip, dropping the rope that had once bound Nancy's wrists and launching himself at Gark. The dwarves on either side of him leapt in his path as if to stop him, but with one kick, the enraged chef sent them hurtling across the street.. She quickly did away with the ropes around her legs, standing shakily.

"Hang on just a moment longer, Sanji-kun," she said, prying her Climatact from his hands and pulling out one end and twisting it rapidly in a circular motion. The small bulb on the end began crackling with electricity, casting shadows eerily across the navigator's face. "This bastard needs to be taught what happens when you mess with pirates."

Gark backed up a step. The menacing aura he'd had when I'd first saw him had completely vanished. A false show, probably only put on for his subordinates. Or it could also be he was truly scared. Whatever the reason, he wasn't planning on putting his full obligation into the fight. I curled my lip. He wasn't even worth fighting if he talked big and didn't follow up with it.

Nenji apparently didn't understand the value of not fighting someone who ran away. _"Swing Arm!"_ She yelled, and ten seconds saw the slave driver collapsed on the ground, his skin black and charred, tiny sparks of electricity arcing through his body.

She stuck her tongue out at him and set to work on Sandai's bound hands. His eyes turned a beating heart inside his head as if her touch set his nerves on fire. Bastard; ero-cook fawning over women at a time like this. Necessary? I think not.

He rubbed his wrists to get the blood flowing again, ignoring the raw and irritated skin in that area. "Nami-san," he said, taking her gently by the arm and pulling her into an alley. A crowd had gathered around their battle site, and I could hear the whispers of the creatures as the pirates stole away quickly.

"_Well, if they're not registered with the Aluk, then we're technically not obligated to catch 'em…"_

"_Why get my hands dirty? They're obviously strong; they'd just escape again. Leave them be."_

Aluk? One of the dwarves had mentioned Raven being one. What was an Aluk, anyway? Well, whatever it was, it – or they – was obviously important to this island. I added them to my mental list of possible threats on this godforsaken island and followed Nancy and Santiago through an alley, where they collapsed to catch their breath, chests heaving and legs shaking from exhaustion.

Santiago began to tell his comrade about the map I had planted inside his head. "It was so weird," he was saying. "It was telling me where to go."

"Having visions inside your head isn't a good sign, Sanji-kun," she said skeptically.

"But for some reason, I trust it," Santiago said firmly. "So I'm going to follow it."

She sucked her bottom lip, but did nothing to sully him. "So where do we go?"

His face blanked. "I don't remember…"

I rolled my eyes, reminding myself that slamming my head against a wall in frustration wouldn't result in anything constructive. I breathed deeply and once again descended, the green glow of my body fading away as Santiago and I merged into one person. Using the same technique as before, I linked our minds and let my memories flow forth.

"Wait! Nami-san, I remember!"

_The bank of a river, a bridge stretching across the rapids and letting off to where a town could be seen through the trees. Tiny huts with thatched roofs, two-story buildings with flowerpots hanging on the windowsill, and advertising taverns or shops. Creatures emerged from the shops and houses. One woman walking past held up an umbrella to shield herself from the sun, her skin deathly pale and her eyes glowing red._

I fast-forwarded through the journey across town, sometimes backtracking when I thought I missed something important. I paid no attention to Santiago's struggles to grasp all the information running through his head; his/my lips curled into a grimace, and the eye was screwed up tight in concentration.

_The dwarfs finally pulled off the main road and made their way through an alley between two pawnshops. Down a steep flight of stairs, two lefts and a right, through a sewer and finally coming to a door built into a stone slab. Orin stepped forward and rapped the hilt of his sword against the stone four times in rapid succession._

There! Found it. The directions to the boulder from the main road. I wouldn't be able to help from where we were currently, but find those two pawnshops, and everything would be okay!

_Is this the way to find Robin-chan? _My host thought, and his/my forehead pounded with headache.

I didn't respond. I was focused on developing a new ability as a ghost. At first I assumed I could only overshadow living beings while they were immobile. But if this were to work, I needed to be able to move with them and not be left behind. Santiago finally got to his feet. So did I. He walked forward, and so did I.

The next thirty minutes consisted of stumbling around Loren, trying to figure out motor skills and look for two pawnshops at the same time. This was no easy task, because Sandy continuously looked at his feet like he somehow had forgotten to walk and had to reteach himself. Finally, Nancy's expert eye caught the sight of two small little shops nestled together, their shop signs banging together in a light wind. I recognized them from when Raven had taken away, and I somehow steered my host in that direction.

I couldn't help but smile as I finally beheld the giant boulder through which Raven had been abducted. Nancy and Santiago exchanged confused glances. "Where is this place?" the orange-haired girl asked, running a hand across the hard rock.

"No idea," the chef replied, just as perplexed. "This is where the map says to go."

_Find Raven, _I said.

"Whoa!" Santiago/I stumbled back a step, eye wide.

"What's wrong?"

"I heard Zoro's voice in my head!"

"What? That's impossible."

A shake of the head. "No. In the cyclone, I heard it the first time. He told me to turn around, and there you and Robin-chan were. At first I thought I was going insane. But twice now…"

"Ghosts don't exist, Sanji-kun," Nancy chided. "Disregarding that pink-haired girl's negative ghosts, there's no such thing."

_Find Raven, _I said again.

"There, again!"

"What does he say?"

"Find Raven."

"Raven?"

Santiago/I nodded. "But we don't know a Raven…" Something went wrong with my legs. I suddenly felt like water, or a flimsy strand of noodles. The world began spinning, and my vision was suddenly spotted with red. _"She sounds beautiful!"_

_Dammit, Santiago, just follow my instructions and do as I say._

_That's a new insult, you bastard. I'll get you back for that!_

_DO AS I SAY, DARTBOARD, AND LOOK AT THAT SHITTY ROCK._

I was proud of myself for remembering that particular insult I always used. Satisfied with the way Sandy's eyes rolled and finally settled on the huge slab in front of us, I left him with one last statement. _Knock four times. The answer is "right side of the white oak." Find Raven._

My job done, I withdrew from the cook's mind and left his body, standing off to the side to watch. I wouldn't hesitate this time. I would go straight through. If I was stopped again, I would go through with one of the crew. Whatever it took. I won't stand for being separated from everyone now. Larry and the rest of the crew were counting on us, and I didn't want to be absent when our goal was achieved.

"What are you doing, Sanji-kun?" Nancy queried as – Sanji – raised his hand and rapped sharply on the rock four times in rapid succession.

Just as it had been, the voice on the other side spoke up. But as it had not been, it said, "How does the satyr like his wine?"

Sandy opened and closed his mouth rapidly while I raged silently. _What the hell was this guy getting at, asking a different question!?_

"Peeled and pressed," said Neji suddenly and confidently. There was a pause, and the boulder began to slide open again. When looked at curiously, she only smiled. "Robin showed me this book once on an ancient civilization called _Greece. _Their mythology had a god called Dionysus, the god of wine, and he likes his grapes peeled and pressed before being turned to wine. I kind of just… blurted it out."

"Well, whatever the case, let me go in first," Santiago whispered as the dark abyss of beyond the rock once again yawned its giant maw. "I'll protect you."

"No complaining from me," I heard Nancy mutter as she and Sandy entered the dark room.

Suddenly remembering my purpose for experimenting with Sandy's body, I ran up and overshadowed the cook right before he entered the darkness. A hard force met me as he passed a certain point. I struggled to keep myself lodged inside him, linking minds to strengthen the bond.

Without meaning to, I suddenly dove into Sandy's own memories, those images flashing through my mind. Sandy himself recoiled a bit as childhood memories suddenly resurfaced for no apparent reason. For only a second, I watched Sandy's childhood whip across my vision. Huge ships in a raging storm, marooned on an island for weeks with no food, the ten year old child looking like a skeleton from Thriller Bark, the old pirate missing his leg…

The resistance suddenly disappeared and I hurtled forward, propelled out of the cook's body and falling flat on my back wherever the hell I was. I didn't move; I now understood why this guy was such a stickler when it came to wasting food. A feeling down in my gut told me I should feel sorry for anything stupid I might have said that offended him, but I forced myself to come to terms with that distracting feeling later.

It was pitch black where I was slowly sitting up, the only light being the small ray of sun bleeding through the closing boulder behind us. I let out a sharp laugh. Yes! Infiltration successful! Sandy looked a little dazed at the sudden flashback of buried memories, but he quickly resumed his usual stance, but slightly hunched over, as the boulder slid closed behind Nancy, plunging everyone into darkness. The ceiling was low, and there was pain to be met if a human stood up to full height.

"How many in your party?" said the voice from before, a lamp flickering to life.

"Two," said Nancy, taking the light source from the weird looking dwarf who possessed it. She knelt so the two were at eyelevel. The dwarf-man looked perplexed at the sudden appearance of two raggedy humans and not a band of dwarven slave drivers. A sly smile curled Nenji's lips. "Would you be so kind as to tell us the most recent human brought in?" she asked, voice soft and seductive. It was that same tone she used to bargain with salesmen on prices, the same one she used to manipulate men into getting what she wanted.

The dwarf was no exception. "A tall woman with dark hair," he said, voice about half an octave higher than usual. "Orin's gang continued down to the next level for the Yalen inspections."

"ROBIN-CHWAN!" Santiago noodled down in the direction the dwarf had indicated. "I'm coming for you!"

I lost count of how long we roamed those corridors and passages, looking for a familiar nakama. Only thanks to Namizou's stealth, we only encountered a few groups of tall pale-skinned people, all with red eyes and black lips. They were easy to pick off, but with each one, Sandy seemed to lose even more power in his kicks, complaining that his boots were missing and he was lacking in strength thereof. Nancy took over then, electrocuting the creatures that attacked them with fangs bared until Sandy had regained enough strength to continue fighting.

When interrogating the defeated vampires, none claimed to have seen a tall human female with dark hair. This led to more random running until the entire cycle repeated again. Finally, one particular vampire claimed to have taken "Stock 24601" down to the stock cells forty-five minutes ago.

"Take us," Neji ordered, and the man grudgingly began walking back the way he had been walking when we had almost quite literally walked into him.

Suddenly, a roar echoed through the underground tunnels, pounding on our ears and ringing in our eardrums. It was a roar made by some massive creature of immense power, and excitement bubbled in my gut. I would give anything to fight that monster right now. Unfortunately, my katana had been left on the ship during the damn cyclone.

"What's that noise!?" Nancy screamed over the bellow.

"It's the Minotaur!" said our captive vampire. "He's located a runaway."

"Could it be Robin-chan!?" Santiago yelled.

The vampire was looking curious, the sound not dulling his sense of hearing. He cocked his head, cast one last glance at us, and took off down the hall, leaping around a corner and out of sight.

"After him!" Nancy yelled as the bellow began to fade away into only a distant echo.

Santiago and I needed no further prompting. The three of us took off after the vampire, feet pounding into hard-packed earth beneath us. We immediately lost sight of our escaped prisoner, but that did not deter us from twisting random down branching corridors, backtracking at dead ends and dodging more vampires.

No more bellows echoed through the corridors, and I slowly began to accept we were dead. Well, they were dead. Technically, I would be, too… shit. We would all die and never come back. EVER. Nancy and Sandy seemed to be having similar thoughts. They leaned hard against the walls, breathing hard and staring at the ground between their shaking knees.

The blackness suddenly began creeping up on my mind again, signaling the beginning of another wave of amnesia. I fought against it, but apparently, even in this ghostly state, my mind can become exhausted, and I was soon overcome.

_A tall man with a sleeping mask, a woman with dark hair slowly being frozen into a statue, a raging train across the ocean, fire burning as men with funny goggles crumpled under my blades, a rams-head figurehead ship rocked by the power of a long-nosed man and a raven-haired man with a red vest, standing on a tree outside an ornate building, crashing through walls and watching a woman with long black hair jump from a window, boarding what looked like a shark painted on a train, blasting through a massive wave…_

Damn. Everything before Enies Lobby was gone. This was getting close. What was that blue-haired guy's name again? Fred? Fancy? Frank? I don't remember.

"I can't go any further, Sanji-kun," Nancy huffed.

"Robin-chan needs us, though," he said back, but by the underlying tone in his voice, I could tell he was at his limit as well.

My ears suddenly picked up someone speaking, and close. I strained my ears harder to make out what the speaker was saying; it was hard to discern through the huffing and puffing of the exhausted pirates. I moved a little away from them to better listen.

_"Three."_

It was a masculine voice. The rough sound a lot of the vampires had when we had questioned them.

_"I need to reach the Valkyrie!" _This voice was feminine. It was eerily familiar too, like someone I knew. I wracked my brain to place the voice as the woman continued speaking_. "Help me find the Pone– Cube of Caine!"_

Raven! It was Raven! I ran forward, following the sound of her and that other voice. They were so close; it was like she was standing right in front of me. I could hear, I could hear! Just a little closer, one more step!

_"Two."_

He was counting down. I didn't want to know what would happen if he reached zero. I ran harder, faster, stronger. Finally, whipping around a corner, I came across a group of ten pale-skinned vampires with their backs to me. The woman they were staring it, it was Raven, and she was yelling again, tears leaking from her eyes.

_"The man I love is dying and the only way to save him is to take him to the Valkyrie! Please! __Help me!"_

I skidded to a stop, my entire gaseous body going completely numb in shock and surprise. What did she just say?

_"One."_

Raven's eyes were shaded by her matted hair. She raised her wrists over her chest, and I shivered at the odd way they were angled. What had she done to herself? I wouldn't let anyone let those kinds of things happen to them, not for my sake. I wanted to move forward and help, but my limbs refused to move. Why did I leave Sanjino and Nenji behind!?

_"Trienta…!"_

"ROOOOOOBIIIIIIIN-CHWAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!"

The vampires and I reacted simultaneously. We turned as one, eyes widening as we beheld an approaching teenaged orange-haired female, her Climatact sparking to life in her hands. I didn't bother to dodge as she loosed the ball of crackling electricity into the cloud that had suddenly appeared above our heads. If anything, the lightning attack seemed to rejuvenate me, fill me with energy I had been lacking.

I waded through the smoking vampire bodies littering the ground, moving to stand next to Raven, who had draped herself across a body supported by disembodied feet to protect it. A small smile creased my features as I recognized the hair, the earrings, the strange eyebrows and everything along with it. My physical body was safe. How, I had no idea and had no intention of asking.

"You bastards," said Sanjino's voice from behind the curtain of steam. "Trying to hurt my Robin-chan! _Your knight in shining armor is here, my princess~!"_

"Shush, Sanji-kun," said Nancy's voice. "The others will hear us!"

The moment the navigator and cook became visible through the fog, they and the archaeologist ran together and embraced tightly, burying themselves in one another like they would never let go. I longed to join that group hug… sort of… but this ability was still far from my reach. My eyes found my body's forearm.

3:46:12

Raven began to sob quietly into Santiago's shoulder, and I felt a pang of jealousy in my heart. That should be me. She should be crying into my shoulder, if crying at all. The blond looked too happy with the older woman leaning against him like that. A smile appeared on Raven's lips, and I realized she was crying tears of joy. Would she cry those tears of joy when – if – I returned? If I were to assume not, I would be kidding myself. _The man I love is dying…_

The Straw Hats parted, holding themselves at arms length to check over themselves and look for any damages. Raven was wearing new clothes, very revealing clothes. It looked nice on her, though. The cloth around her chest was fraying around the edges, but it was still a nice color and somehow managed to not slide down when she moved. Her long skirt nicely fit her wide hips, and a rip in the fabric showed a small cut midcalf. She was still lovely.

Lovely?

"How did you get here?" Raven asked her nakama, curiosity and slight exhaustion lacing her voice.

I tuned out the story of our perilous journey here; I knew it already. Sandy decided to omit small parts of the story, but I held nothing against him. To me it didn't matter _how_ we had gotten here, but the fact that we were here _now_ made the difference. I examined Raven's face as the cook and cartographer exchanged roles in the storytelling. Her expression morphed into one of surprise, curiosity, and hope when the story came to breaking through the boulder-entrance thing.

It was impossible to read her thoughts by only observing her face. I had half a mind to overshadow her, but thought better of it. I would leaver her to her thoughts and whatever else she was feeling… emotionally.

The story complete, Sanjino went over to stand by the Aluk, bending low to poke at the one who had gotten away from us. He had run away to join his own comrades here, I knew it. I swear, when I return physically, I would kick his ass for running away. A lot of trouble could have been saved if he had just –!

"By the way, Robin," Nanci nudged her friend. "Is what you really said true?"

"What do you mean?"

The orange-haired teen smirked. "'The man I love is dying…?"

I spotted red creeping up Robin's cheeks. It was an awfully suspicious color. "It was a lie. I was attempting the sympathy tactic."

Namizou obviously didn't believe the historian, and neither did I. I know what I heard, and it is incredibly difficult to imitate an emotion like that. I would have liked to continue that interrogation, but the navigator let the subject drop. Her eyes roved over to where my body still lay suspended by several pairs of feet. "So what happened to you, then?" she asked.

"24601."

We whipped around. One of the vampires was on his feet again, barely. He held one wall with a hand, his red eyes glowing with rage as he raised an index finger and aimed it directly over Raven's heart. She did not look away from him, rather fixed her cerulean eyes on his red ones without so much as a twitch of a finger. A confident and unwavering air surrounded her, and I liked that. She didn't need anyone's help protecting herself, but she was always willing to accept it.

"You will come with me," the vampire hissed. "No one has ever escaped from this cavern, and I will not have our reputation tarnished by mere _humans._"

He leapt forward, moving blindingly fast. Sanjino, Nancy and Raven whipped around, unable to locate the vanished mythological creature. But I could see him. He moved like an apparition, his entire form shimmering like he and I stood on opposite ends of a raging fire, the smoke distorting our features. He moved behind them constantly, not letting himself stay anywhere but directly behind them. Raven paused, and he took his opportunity. Squatting, he suddenly sank his teeth into Raven's calf.

She screamed, collapsing to one knee and holding her hands over the two puncture wounds now oozing a deep purple liquid. With a thump, my body hit the ground as the feet supporting it vanished.

"Robin-chan!" Sanji yelled.

"Robin!" Nami cried.

The vampire shimmered back into existence before us, a coy smile curling his lips as he swiped the back of his hand across the black flesh. "Give that a few minutes to set," he smiled evilly. "And we'll be on our way."

A rage boiled up inside me. Anyone else who so much as thinks of harming Raven again will have me to deal with when I get back. I don't continue risking my life constantly for her for nothing. Granted, I don't remember any of it, but I knew I had done it multiple times and on several occasions. I did not take kindly to those who hurt my nakama.

The other vampires slowly began to regain consciousness, standing on one another for support, yet still as angered as the first. The one who had managed to escape from us was supported by one of his comrades, his eyes narrow as he stared Raven down. Her eyes grew soft as she met his eyes, but they soon hardened again as the creatures advanced, reaching out for us. Nancy raised her Climatact, but it was quickly knocked from her hands by a swipe quicker than a normal human could blink. Santiago looked slightly unsteady on his feet; blood loss was finally getting to him. Raven crossed her deformed wrists across her chest, wincing as they clicked briefly together.

I berated myself. There was nothing I could do, nothing at all, and this was not looking good. They needed me, and I them. If we – they – died here, it would have been all for nothing, and Lucky would have to find himself a new cook, navigator, historian, and swordsman.

Raven closed her eyes, sucking her bottom lip as if whispering her final prayer to any gods that even existed.

"Come here, 24601!"

A flash of light lit the room, and I suddenly found my vision zooming out. Raven and the others grew smaller and smaller, white clouding my vision. I called out, wanting to return to my nakama below, but I was powerless against whatever force was pulling me up. All the weariness was drained from me, and I felt energized and ready for anything. Any cuts I should have would have been healed completely; I felt pure and fresh like a newborn baby. I felt no more pain.

A soft voice echoed in my mind: _You are awaited by the Valkyrie, _it said. _Welcome to Valhalla, welcome to your new home, welcome to forever._

**Remember what I said last chapter about it being the longest? Welp, this just replaced it. XD**

**Nana, Nancy, Ne(n)ji, Namizou = Nami  
****Sandy, Shinji, Santa, Santiago = Sanji  
****Raven = Robin**

**I'm having too much fun with this. :D**

**Anyway, please review, and don't forget to vote on that poll if you want a sequel! :D Thanks so much to everyone sticking with me so far! I have a plan for the next two chapters, so * ****hopefully***** they'll be out before Valentine's Day! But I've got other obligations as well…**

**Since Zoro's new predicament is a secret, we will be returning to Robin next chapter!**

**Coming Up: Chapter 11 – Follow the Wisdom of the Heart**


	11. Follow the Wisdom of the Heart

**I admit it. I got a bit stuck. Couldn't figure out how to take it from where I left off last time, but I finally got it. Thank you all for waiting patiently and for your encouraging reviews!**

**So I'm running out of Nico Robin quotes; if anyone has any good ones (that I haven't used yet) please alert me. I'd like to keep it to Robin and Zoro quotes (I have plenty of him…). Please and thank you.**

**Review Corner:**

**graceling42 – **The ending is going to blow your socks off, let me tell you. It'll be one of those _didn't see that coming!... _moments. I blamed Moffat for failing my Pre-Cal quiz a few days ago, because I stayed up watching Sherlock again and forgot to study. DON'T GET ME STARTED ON THAT MOVIE. I made a list of everything that was wrong with it, and got up to about two hundred things. But I am weak to Logan Lerman's beautiful face. I'll give him that. Sea of Monsters comes out in August this year I think, or September. Either way, I plan to go see it with my fellow demigod fanatics and make fun of it the entire time. XD

**Rasaxe – **What happened to Zoro at the end isn't even close to amazing, but I'll take that compliment all the same. Thanks. Sequel, plus one. Enjoy Robin's POV! :D

**DirectionallyChallengedKensh i – **YOU'RE STUCK PERMANENTLY SCREAMING! SOMEONE CALL A DOCTOR! Oh, wait, that's not me. CHOPPER! Well… if I sketch out the plot in my head… six more after this one. I think. Plus the sequel… dunno…?

**Gummiebear – **Vote taken positive. Thanks for your vote!

**NinjaSheik – **I used to watch Naruto, and just lost interest in it after Sasuke defeated Killer Bee. Sorry for the late update, it took a while.

**Jabrax13 – **Already forgot Water 7. Enies Lobby and the rest of Thriller Bark is all that he has left. I'm sorry for updating so late, I hope this is worth it. I didn't mean for it to take this long, but whenever I sat down at my computer, I just couldn't seem to get my juices going. Don't you hate that? But finally with a cup of coffee and 30 Seconds to Mars in the background, I got it. :D

**dragoscilvio – **The memory thing is risky, though. I forget myself sometimes how much he's forgotten already and have to reread my own story to remind myself! XD I've been to Ireland; it's gorgeous there. I enjoyed Dublin, but I think the best part of that trip was watching the herding sheep dogs, or walking through two feet of mud to go mud sliding in a swampy-thing place. I think you'll like it. :D

**shadowangel9999 – **Zoro did hear her! I love that! I'm pretty sure you know that puzzle, too. :D I haven't forgotten about it, but it hasn't made my job any easier, lemme tell ya. :)

**armaani – **Yeah, I caught that blooper once I reread it. YOU GOT ME. XD Zoro as a Valhalla warrior. Hmmm…. Yes, I suppose it's like Teen Titans. The Puppet Master is one of my favorite villains, only because his ability to put souls in puppets is so cool. My fandoms reach far and wide, my friend. I used to love old shows like Totally Spies and Teen Titans when I was younger. Guess it rubs off on me even now. :D I'm almost done with your chapter, should be back to you soon!

**Tare-chan – **Well, the next chapter's out. Hope you enjoy it. ZoSan nakamaship is important to me; they're quarreling brothers who really don't know about each other's past, and I feel that one day they will understand each other deeply. Nami would be totally badass if she wasn't quite as easily frightened. I watch her fight Kalifa all the time; it's one of my favorite moments of hers. Is it intended…? I dunno, IS IT? Reading will tell. No. Not possible to update less than a week. But hopefully the next chapter will be out by Valentines. I don't like being OOC; it feels awkward to write, and I sometimes feel like I disrespect the mangaka if I don't stay IC. Thanks. ;D

**Nami-swann – **Luffy and co. are in a bit of a bind right now; but they'll come back (obviously). Robin's a strong, independent woman who don't need no man (but will gladly accept a certain green-haired swordsman any day!)

**Seis Fleur – **Raven Symone from _That's So Raven_? Really? That is kinda dumb, but interesting. I'll give you that. Enjoy the update!

**animefan (Guest) – **Thanks for your review! I'm sorry I can't update much faster; I have a life too, you know. XD

**DelFina18 – **My parents often think I'm insane; you're not the only one. I love subtext, so you'll often see hints here in there in my fics. Oda will throw the most random comment in the most serious of scenes and you can't help but laugh. That's what I go for. Neko! That's what it was! I knew there was something for cat but couldn't remember what it was and was too lazy to look it up. Says a lot about me, doesn't it? XD But I'll keep that in mind, thanks~!

**AranisuShousan – **Thanks so much for your enthusiasm! Through the wardrobe and into the land of Narnia! I love that series (Prince Caspian is my favorite, not just because of the movie). I try to incorporate many different mythologies into one to expand on the vast amounts there were, so I hope they all kind of… work out eventually. I'm glad you like those tips I PMed you, and I can't wait to see the results! Keep me posted, and enjoy the next chapter! :)

**anfieldgyul – **Thank you so much; it really means a lot that you took the time to read all ten chapters in one go. And so soon is posted the eleventh chapter, so you don't have to wait as long! :D Enjoy!

**Love you guys so much! Thanks for the reviews, and everyone enjoy the latest installment of the Stuff of Legends~!**

Chapter 11 – Follow the Wisdom of the Heart

"_Wanting to become stronger for the sake  
of someone else. I've never thought of that before."  
Nico Robin_

_Robin POV_

Screaming filled my ears. Screams I knew all too well. It was the scream of someone dying; knowing that any breath could be their last, and watching their own flesh melt from their bones. It was the scream of a vanishing life. I knew that sound like the back of my hand. I've heard it once too often. But this time, I didn't know how to feel about it. Should I feel sorry for the one who had tried to murder me? Should I laugh at his screams of pain and death?

I didn't. I only smiled sadly at the red eyes locked on mine as the skin around them turned papery and flaked from the body, floating away as the wind whipped them away. The scream echoed in my ears, the voice fading away as the creature's vocals were quite literally ripped from its throat. Even as its final moment of life approached, still those eyes bored into mine like a nail through wood. Analyzing my every thought, my every emotion.

I hit the ground hard, all the air forced from my lungs in one huge gasp. Coughs escaped my throat, wracking my entire body. Gentle hands wrapped around my shoulders and helped me into a sitting position as I slowly regained my breath. "Thank you," I said.

"You're welcome," said Nami's voice, and I turned to smile at her, instead my jaw dropped slightly and my eyes widened. The navigator had been completely cleansed of any and all injury. Her skin was shining and scratch-free, her hair put up in a nice bun with a circlet on her head similar to Antinodea's. She was now wearing a knee-length creamy-colored toga clipped over one shoulder with gold slippers on her feet. She simply radiated beauty. Looking down at myself, I saw that I, too, was dressed similarly, and my broken wrists were completely healed. My skin glowed faintly like I had a miniature sun beneath my skin.

"Robin-chan, Nami-swan, you look absolutely radiant, more beautiful than the goddess of beauty herself~!"

I looked over at the lovesick chef. He, too, had been cleansed of wounds, but his mode of dress was much less modest; only a short cloth was wrapped around his waist, leaving him completely bare-chested.

"You will stay silent, man," said the voice of Antinodea. I blinked into focus, looking at the Valkyrie standing a few feet away. She looked just as beautiful as she had down below, if not glowing a bit brighter. She looked forward over our heads. "Take one moment to regain your balance."

"What pushed me inside the light beam?" I asked, standing a bit unsteadily, and finding a light cloud below my feet. It was like being in Skypeia again.

"An Aluk," was a short answer. "That beam purifies everything that enters it; nothing tainted may enter this world. Aluks are creatures of blood; it was vaporized instantly."

That would explain the screaming and my healed wounds. I flexed my fingers, not quite convinced of the magic. I was a woman of knowledge and fact, not one who believes in petty magic tricks like this. Still… my wrists felt fine, and there was no denying the bones were not broken.

But something felt off. Not with my body, but with just the air surrounding us. The room we had landed in, the floor dusted with cloud, the twelve golden pillars holding up the pure gold dome of a roof, it was all very regal and realistic. But I couldn't put my finger on what was missing until I did a head count.

"Where is Zoro?" I demanded, whirling on the Valkyrie, who was keeping her eyes trained on something behind me. I didn't care to turn. "What have you done with him?"

Antinodea's eyes flicked to me. "I don't know."

I somehow managed to control my hysteria. "If you don't tell me, I may have to force the answer out of you."

She didn't bat an eye. "I'm not in charge of the souls. If you have a complaint, find my sister Xion. She will help you. But that does not concern you. Lady Freyja will speak to you first."

I put on my sweetest smile. "I refuse to see her until you tell me where Zoro is."

"Robin," Nami whispered when Antinodea didn't reply. "Something's wrong with Sanji-kun."

I looked at the blonde cook. His entire body was frozen in some sort of self-administered time lock: his eyes were wide and unblinking, jaw slack and immobile as his hands grabbed at his hair. I knew he wasn't dead; he had spoken a minute before. Had he seen something? Could it be important?

I looked to follow the cook's gaze, inhaling a light breath when I beheld a tall woman leaning against a pillar. She had been silent and undetectable, listening in on our conversation. She was who Antinodea was staring at, a darker look shading the Valkyrie's eyes. The newcomer wore clothing similar to Antinodea, but her gown was knee-length and a sweet baby blue, tied off at the shoulder with laced sleeves. Her black hair was tied in a high ponytail, small strands of hair hanging down either side of her slim features. Her green eyes were shy and modest, but behind the veil of sweet there was sour.

"That is no way to speak to Eir." The girl whispered.

Eir?

"You do not refer to us by true name outside of the Trial Room, Tufa," Antinodea snapped.

I could have guessed. When I read the novel about the Valkyrie, the book had stated they rarely used their real names, preferring an alias. Eir must be Antinodea's true name.

Tufa, the new Valkyrie no doubt, shuffled on her feet unsteadily. "Lady Frejya sent me. She wants the humans in her throne room as soon as possible."

I maintained my smile, but inside I was fuming. I didn't want to go anywhere without knowing where Zoro was. For all I knew, he was burning in a fiery pit of death for all of eternity. Or maybe he was frolicking through a meadow of daises while singing a tone-deaf _Kumbaya_. Both thoughts made me cringe; I couldn't decide which was worse. Well, wherever he was, he'd better not go and get himself lost… even though he's a body.

Nami somehow managed to revive Sanji, who immediately swooned in front of Tufa, who inched quickly away from the erratic chef. She eventually turned and fled down a corridor from which I assumed she had arrived in the first place. Sanji noodled after her, yelling for his angel to wait. Nami took off after him, leaving Antinodea alone in the room with me.

Without looking at the female warrior, I said, "I don't trust you, Eir-san." Just to spite her, I used her true name. From an eye bloomed across the room, I noticed her lips tighten as it rolled off my tongue. "I don't trust this Valhalla. And I just want to sum up the situation: Zoro is dead. It is just Nami, Sanji, and I. My nakama's body and soul are missing. And as a result, that makes this simple. Very, very simple. Do you know why?"

Antinodea's voice was clipped. "No."

"Because now, Eir-san…" I looked at her over my shoulder, giving my best _cross-me-and-you-die _smile. "There is no _power_ on this _earth_ that can _stop me_."

I didn't wait for her reaction. I took long strides after the navigator and cook, leaving her in the dust. I was positive I had jolted the Valkyrie a little, but that was not my intention. What I had spoken was the truth. I would not stop until this entire land was turned over and Zoro's body recovered. I would locate this River Chai if I had to fight my way single-handed through a million foes. I would drag myself across deserts, hike mountains, and pass any test to see this through to the end. I didn't know any woman in the universe who wouldn't do the same for the man they loved.

I caught up to Sanji and Nami, who were standing dumbfounded in the absence of Tufa, who had somehow disappeared, in front of a massive set of ornate silver doors, the hinges laced with gold. Inscribed into the entrance was a crescent moon with two swords crossed over it, a shield in the background. The symbol of the Moon Goddess. The doors swung inward as I approached, admitting us inside a tall corridor lined with stone. The ceiling slanted upward into a triangular shape with small windows to allow sunlight to illuminate the room. At the very end of the hall on a raised platform was positioned a decorated wooden chair, padded with goose-feather pillows. Sitting on that throne was the nudest woman I had seen in a very long time.

She wore only a single cloth draped over her shoulder and across her lap, barely covering her cleavage and leaving a good amount of it exposed. Long yellow hair fell in waves around her face, complimenting her strangely dark eyes. Her legs were crossed daintily at the knee, and her skin shone with a soft lunar light. At her feet was a huge boar, its tusks wickedly sharp. Hanging above her head was a figurine of a horse in flight, its wings spread like a swan.

_This must be Lady Freyja,_ I figured.

Standing around her were twelve women; I recognized Antinodea and Tufa among them. They must be the entire Valkyrie family. A few girls had black hair, some brown, some blonde, and some white. Their eye color varied as well, most to fit the expressions on their faces. One girl with a huge shield strapped to her back held her brown hair up in a high ponytail with bangs on either side of her face, similar to Tufa. Her eyes were hard and unyielding, like a barricade against the enemy. However, another girl had her black hair short and close-cropped, eyes black against her pale skin. A bow and quiver rested between her shoulder blades with swords strapped to her hips, which she fingered fondly. A stab of pain pierced my heart. Zoro caresses his swords in the same manner. The jittery adrenaline, just waiting for something bad to happen so you can cut things like a psychotic maniac.

"Which one of you pleaded for help?" Lady Freyja asked.

Sanji collapsed again. It was a pity Chopper wasn't here. I hoped Sanji didn't die of blood loss if he continues nose bleeding like that.

I stepped forward, smiling lightly again to quell my rising uneasiness. "It was I. Thank you for rescuing us." I did not kowtow to her, as it would be proper. She didn't appear to notice or even care.

"I only replied for a single purpose," the goddess of the moon continued. "Reginleif tells me you desire something far more desirable that your own safety."

Reginleif, or who I assumed it was, dipped her head in a nod, her light pink hair falling in front of her dainty face.

"Forgive me for not introducing ourselves," Nami spoke up. She had given up on Sanji, who had fallen into unconsciousness again, and stood next to me confidently. "I'm Nami, navigator for the Straw Hat pirates. This is Nico Robin, an archeologist. And that sorry lump over there is Sanji, the cook."

"We don't give our names to outsiders," the black-haired Valkyrie hissed, her eyes boring into my own.

"B-But Syrena," a blue-haired girl whispered, quaking in her own sandals. "We n-need t-to…"

"Shut it, Atina," her sister snapped.

"Why not you?" another one groaned, flipping her short yellow hair out of her eyes and glaring at her sister with sharp green eyes. "Put away that fierce attitude of yours and try to be quaint for once. You're pissing me off."

"Say that again, Aerith, I dare you!"

The sound of steel against sheath beat the air, and suddenly a broadsword blocked the Valkyrie siblings from tearing each other apart. The owner of the broadsword was a woman with deep purple hair, eyes like a hawk and her limbs bulging with muscles. "Stop it," she ordered. "Introduce yourselves to the guests."

Syrena folded her arms. "Sanngrior." This must be the Trial Room if they were using their official names; I felt a bit honored to witness this. I recognized the name the Valkyrie had used from the book I had read once. _Very violent and cruel._

Aerith stuck out her tongue. "Raogrior." _The bossy._

Antinodea gave me a hard look. _"_Eir." _Help and mercy._

The shielded Valkyrie didn't make eye contact. "Randgrid." _The shield-destroyer._

A tall Valkyrie dressed in simple battle attire with her red hair plaited down her back spoke up next. "Goll." _Noise in battle._

The girl whom Freyja had spoken of came forward next. "Reginleif." _Daughter of the gods._

Another sister dressed similarly to Goll, but more feminine-like, said, "Hildr." _Battle._

Tufa whispered, "Pogn." _Silence._

A Valkyrie with dual swords at her hip introduced herself next. "Skalmold." _Sword time._

The purple-haired woman who had broken up the fight sheathed her sword once she was sure her quarreling sisters had ceased their disagreement. "Hjorprimul. Please, call me Nakoma. It's easier." _The sword warrioress._

Atina, who had at first tried to calm Syrena. "Hrist." _The quaking one._

Finally, the only remaining Valkyrie muttered into the blade of the knife she was cleaning, "Kara." _The wild, stormy one._

Twelve Valkyrie. Just like in the legends and myths to which they belonged. Goddesses born to train the spirits of the dead for Ragnarok, the coming of the end of time. A dangerous group of women who would be difficult to defeat.

"Tell me where Zoro is!" I demanded once the introductions had finally ceased.

"Who?"

"She means the warrior who was summoned here," Antinodea explained. "The one with the odd green hair."

"That's him!" Nami confirmed. "Where is he!?"

Hildr raised her had. "I take care of them," she said.

Is she Xion, whom Antinodea had told me to refer? I assumed so. "Where did the body go?"

"Where the rest of them go."

Xion was refusing to be specific, and it was irking me to no end. I dare not reveal my inner turmoil and show weakness. "Please," I tried to compromise. "We need him to –"

A sudden breeze blew through the room, but there was nowhere for it to have come from. It smelt of the sea and salt and… chocolate? And was that a rose petal? A large amount of rose petals had suddenly appeared inside the throne room from thin air, riding a salty sea breeze in a tall pillar a few feet away. It grew so dense it was impossible to see what may be inside the pillar, but all was revealed a few seconds later when the wind vanished, the petals floated to the floor and another woman stepped forward, mumbling about 'dramatic entrances.'

Sanji, who had just apparently awoken from his stupor, took one look at the newcomer, erupted into another nosebleed and fainted again. Nami facepalmed.

This woman was different from the Valkyrie; I knew immediately she wasn't from the same mythology. Her face couldn't be pinned down to one exact form, it was constantly shifting into different ones, but each face was equally perfect in beauty. Now, she had long salmon-pink hair and blue eyes, a few freckles dotted across her nose and a flower pinned above her ear. Then, she suddenly transformed into a vision of my mother, complete with those blue eyes that could read my mind. Nami, who was standing beside me, saw something else. "Bellemere?" she whispered.

I didn't know who Bellemere was, but I assumed it was someone Nami loved very much. The woman was dressed in a pink floor-length gown, sleeveless, and coming together at her shoulder with a broach shaped as a myrtle.

"Freyja," the woman said with a coy smile. The addressed moon goddess tightened her hold on her armrest. "Lighten up and let the heroes have their companion."

"And why should I?"

"Because they love him, and he loves them. I've been watching this endeavor for the past few hours and must say, I think they deserve it."

"Venus," Freyja said, her tone dangerous.

The woman flicked her hair behind her hear, flashing a pure-white smile. "Oh, come on, Freyja. I'm the goddess of Love; this is my area of expertise."

I gasped. "Venus… love… could it be?"

"What's up, Robin?" Nami asked curiously.

"Remember that book I showed you about Greece?" I said, and the navigator nodded. "Well, when that civilization fell, another one rose to power and adopted its mythology, just adapted it a little to be more warlike. In this new power, Rome, their goddess of Love was Venus, adopted from the Greek Aphrodite. Her kingdom is that of breaking couples apart or… bringing them together." My voice softened to a whisper.

Venus winked. "Spot on, princess! Only the concept of 'love' can't be 'adapted' so easily. I just had my name switched."

"But what is an angel such as yourself doing here, my lovely?" Sanji swooned. I hadn't realized he'd regained consciousness, and started when his voice echoed in the throne room. He appeared to be emotionally stable now, wiping the blood off his face with the back of his sleeve and standing shakily.

An elegant throne suddenly sprouted from the ground in which Venus lounged lazily, examining her already perfect fingernails. "It gets so boring sometimes. There's nothing to do. Until you guys land on this island, and it's just one thing after another!" the goddess squealed. "It's so cute I have to get in on it!"

I had a feeling down in my gut that I knew exactly what she was talking about. I wouldn't admit it aloud, though. Not until she said it first. But the goddess of love was not my priority. I need to find Zoro's body and take it to the River Chai, whatever the cost. Maybe I could manipulate Venus into revealing its location.

"Venus-dono," I said in my best _convince-the-enemy-of-my-loyalty_ voice. "I must ask, have you heard of the River Chai?"

Lady Freyja's eyes narrowed, as if I had suddenly crossed a very dangerous line. Venus, however, picked at her lip in curiosity. "River Chai, Chai…" She plopped her fist into her palm. "Oh, yeah! You're talking about that Legend I wrote millennia ago, back when I was Greek, I had forgotten!"

"WHAT!?" Nami and Sanji screeched. "You wrote the Legend?"

Venus flashed a peace symbol. "Of course! It was supposed to help a good friend of mine, but the poor buffoon didn't make it in time. I'm surprised it's survived this long."

"What is this Legend of which you speak?" hissed Syrena, hand caressing the hilt of her sword as if itching to unsheathe it.

Were the Valkyrie unknowing of this Legend? If so, it could prove to our advantage to manipulate this. I didn't open my mouth, however. I would need to select my words carefully if this tactic was to prove beneficial. I kept one eye trained on her as my attention was slightly diverted to the navigator, who had completely discarded the Valkyrie's query.

"Please, tell us!" Nami pleaded with the love goddess. "What do we need to do?"

Venus turned her pure blue eyes on mine, and I had a sudden wave of memories flood my mind of my mother looking at me in that same way. I lost all concentration on Syrena and focused on that sweet happiness my mother had of seeing her daughter again, but also a sorrow just under the surface because of the consequences. It was a bittersweet sight. "Robin already knows. But unfortunately, you'll have to come to the Greek Pillar. I wasn't allowed to bring my River Chai when my alliance switched to Rome."

"But to do that, you need the warrior," Lady Freyja's voice said sternly, and I started. She had been silent, and I had forgotten she was in the room. All eyes turned to the Moon Goddess's coy smile. "And we will not give him up."

"What do you want?" Nami shouted. "We'll give you anything."

"Anything is lofty word, child," Venus said quietly. "'Anything' includes your life."

Nami suddenly seemed to realize the vastness of her word, and slapped a hand to her lips, her eyes wide with deep understanding of her desperation. Lady Freyja didn't seem phased by Nami's actions, but merely pursed her lips and drummed her fingers on the armrest of her throne. She appeared to be concocting a price, and I wasn't buying.

Seeming to come to a conclusion, she opened her mouth to speak, but I interrupted her. "Show him to us first," I bargained. "Prove that you have him."

Freyja's eyes narrowed. She raised finger and gestured. The black-haired girl Xion came forward, the one in charge of the souls. She reached to the side, and a was impressed when her entire forearm disappeared into what appeared to be a pocket in the air; a portal. An alternate dimension, maybe?

Xion's eyes widened slightly. A vein tensed in her bicep, and she suddenly began to grapple with herself as if her arm was suctioned to whatever was on the other side of that gate. But it wasn't stuck, because she pulled it free with ease and stuck her other arm inside, movements frantic.

"What's wrong?" I asked sweetly, hiding my own sudden flood of worry.

"It's…gone…" Xion strained.

"It's _what_?" The entire room screamed. All but Venus, I noticed, who had hidden a sly smile behind her hand. The remaining eleven Valkyrie flocked around their sister, bombarding her with questions, to which she merely shook her head sadly.

I kept an eye on the love goddess, who was suppressing her laughter with one hand. My eyes narrowed. My suspicions were confirmed as she suddenly spoke up above the clamor. "It's not gone," she giggled. "Only stolen."

At the word, all life in the room fell silent. The Valkyrie glared at the Roman intruder, eyes like daggers. I didn't move. I had suspected this. Venus's body language said all that needed to be spoken. She held up her hand, and with a poof of rose petals, Zoro's body appeared in mid air, frozen in the exact position he had been in when he had been suspended by my feet back in the Aluk's stock cells. Was it rigor mortis? Or a frozen state in time? Whatever the case, the goddess held him captive, and this I would not stand for.

"Return him at once," I demanded.

"But he's dead?" Venus said, her voice layered with sickly sweet oil. "Why do you want this thing? It can't do anything, just lays there and decays. But _this, _however, is what you want."

In Venus's other hand popped a life-size jar, complete with an airtight lid. There didn't appear to be anything inside of it, but when I looked harder, the glass tinted a deep green, and a handprint suddenly pressed itself to the inside of the jar, fingers curled in frustration. My heart began to beat faster. _Zoro._

"But you don't want one or the other, do you?" the Roman goddess continued. "You want both. Put the soul and body together and _wala! _You get your swordsman back."

"There's no such thing as a free lunch," I figured. "Name your price."

In a poof, the body and soul jar disappeared. Venus leaned over on her knee, resting her chin in the palm of her hand. "Just you, Robin sweetie," she smiled. "I have a test for you."

"A test." I repeated.

A nod. "Yes. Pass my test, I'll give you directions to the River Chai, where sweet Zoro-san is waiting for you right now. Pass, find, free. Sound like a deal?"

I was wary. Tests, I had come to learn, were dangerous, and often result in death. Testing Baroque Works applicants, testing the crew when I joined them, testing. Measuring abilities, gaining knowledge. I love mind games, however, and Venus didn't seem like the type of goddess to give lethal quizzes. She was playing mind games with me now, a trick she'd probably picked up from Athena back in her Greek days. I was good at those mind games, finding the puzzle and solving the mystery, keeping that poker face intact.

But it was the only way. I had to accept, lethal or no. A part of me, deep down, thought it would be fun. Another part of me whispered _do it for your nakama. _But my chest told me _do it for Zoro. _I would never see him again if I didn't, and what would happen to the Straw Hat pirates afterward? Would we continue to sail through to the New World, or would we just stop here and never even see the second half of the Grand Line? What would become of us? I would never find any other nakama as loving as them for the rest of my life; I would find no safe haven from the Government, staying in hiding until the end of my days, alone. I didn't want to be alone ever again.

I didn't want to wake up and not smell Sanji's excellent cooking. I didn't want to sit in a chair and not have to tune out Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper's happy yells. I didn't want to neglect conversations with Nami about girly things the other boys detested. But I especially did not want to not see the swordsman out every day training until his skin glistened with sweat. I would miss spending silent time together in the crow's nest, training and reading. The nice one-word conversations as we passed each other. I didn't want that to go away. Not ever.

"I accept your challenge," I stated firmly.

A wry smile curled Venus's lips. "Exellent."

**The Valkyrie's true names are their actual names in Norse mythology. So as a refresher on the Valkyrie's names and meanings so you don't get confused, including names I may refer to them as in the future to spare you and myself from complicated names:**

Antinodea - Eir (help, mercy)  
Galatea - Goll (noise, battle)  
Raksha - Reginleif (power trace, daughter of the gods)  
Xion -Hildr (battle)  
Tufa - Pogn (silence)  
Messua - Skalmold (sword time)  
Orwen - Randgrid (shield-destroyer)  
Aerith - Raogrior (the bossy)  
Syrena - Sanngrior (very violent, very cruel)  
Nakoma - Hjorprimul (the sword warriorsess)  
Atina - Hrist (the quaking one)  
Asteria - Kara (the wild, stormy one)

**And I did alter the mythology a little to better suit my standards. The Valkyrie are not actually Freyja's daughters, but rather handmaidens to Orin, but seeing as I did not include Orin in this story, I needed some alterations. Please tell me what you think! :D**

**The next chapter will hopefully be released Valentine's Day! If not, the day after. So look forward to it!**

**Coming Up: Chapter 12 – Ordeal of Love, Take 2**


	12. Ordeal of Love, Part 2

**Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! I hope you and your special someone are enjoying yourselves on the day of love. Guys, you go be with your girlfriend (or boyfriend, I support you!) and girls, you go be with your boyfriend (or girlfriend, I support you!) Take this day in stride, and try not to waste it trekking through dank musty underground slave-driving tunnels looking for your nakama like Robin was.**

**Get out your tissues; a bit whopping plate of feels is heading your way. :D Enjoy the update, eat lots of chocolate, and make the dentists mad at you. CARPE DIEM!**

**Review Corner:**

**Graceling42 – **I put Zoro in a bottle. Yes, yes I did. But he's not a genie, just trapped. Aw, Venus isn't all that bad. She has good motives this chapter, trust me. It's pure fluff, I'll let you in on that sneak peak. I bought the first season of Sherlock on DVD the other day and I'm bound and determined to turn my Whovian sister into a Wholockian. It will take time, but it shall be done!

**NinjaSheik – **Robin's done her best, promise. :D. XD

**00000000000000000000Zero0000 – **Why do you feel the need to have so many 0s in your penname? Wow. Anyway, no, Zoro's not in the test. He's somewhere else waiting for Robin. And as for the rest of that, it's a big ball of SPOILERS! :D Thanks for your Robin quote suggestions, I'll use one!

**Guest – **Zoro and Robin will be together soon, I promise.

**Shadowangel9999 – **Yes, you did figure it out somewhat. Very very close. Venus has a plan up her sleeve though, so she's not all bad. And the Valkyrie will soon leave the picture (until Robin returns for the Poneglyph) so you won't have to worry about them for much longer.

**Kaitaru Stark-Laufeyson – **You never asked. XD I had someone tell me once this was crack cocaine for his/her brain. Is this that to you? I expect an update on Black as Knight by tomorrow, you hear me? If you think Robin's cute talking to a corpse, then wait until you read this load here. Grab some tissues; it's gonna punch you in the feels. HAWK-EYE I STILL HAVE TO KICK YOUR ASS FOR BREAKING THE ZoRo CHEMISTRY IN BaK! I'M NOT AFRAID OF YOU! but _you know, take your time and everything… I'll go wait in this corner until you're ready…_

**DelFina18 – **I was waiting to see if someone would bring up Kumbaya. I cracked up writing it: just imagining it gives me a headache. Like a big error sign pops up at the front of my vision flashing with the buzzer going off in my head. Venus is a step up this chapter, trust me. Enjoy the update!

**Tare-chan – **Checking every day, not trusting your email. That's dedication if I've ever seen it. The Valkyrie are preparing the warriors the end of days, the would have to keep sharp tactics and personalities to maintain thousands upon millions of souls. The telepathy will be revealed in due time, but there was no room for it in the last chapter. I hadn't thought about the lines before the I WANT TO LIVE. That's actually really good… I'll use that now! Thanks for your help, and enjoy the update!

**Nami Swannn – **I love mythology, too. That's why I decided to incorporate it. If Sanji passes out when meeting Shirahoshi, imagine the goddess of love and beauty herself. It would be like meeting Boa Hancock again. I'll tell you, the test isn't what any of you are expecting! :D

**DirectionallyChallengedKensh i – **THERE IS GOING TO BE A SEQUEL. But I'm going to try a different updating method with that one, so they may be a bit slower. As for lovey-dovey… your feels will take a pounding, if that's any consolation. :D

**Armaani – *** dramatic music* In a world… filled with riddles… one woman… risks it all… for the man she loves… *dun dun duuuuunnn! * I probably could have included Japanese mythology, couldn't I? But I'm not as familiar with it, so I'm kinda restricted to the cultures I'm already familiar with. I hope your readers liked my additions to your latest Tough Trials, I think it's a real showstopper. :D

**Animefan (Guest) – **I'm not sure how many more chapters there will be; however many more it takes, I suppose.

**UltimateC3 – **Thanks for your encouragement. It means a lot. :)

**Guest – **Venus is that badass chick you run into at the shopping mall constantly bartering for discounts. XD Well, here's the next chapter, and thanks for reviewing! :D

**Gummiebear – **I am confident your high expectations will be met this chapter. When I wrote down this first chapter, at first it was just a one-shot, a few last words for Zoro, what he might be thinking during his sacrifice, but then the plot line just kind of stemmed from there. But no, I had no idea how I was going to divert this story until I had Robin and co. captured by the slave driving dwarves. It was then I had the idea to incorporate mythology. The original plot was that Myth Island was uninhabited. But I like this one better. :D Enjoy!

**Mgaa – **Wow, that's awesome. Thanks! Enjoy the update!

Chapter 12 – Ordeal of Love, Take 2

"_Live. I thought wishing for it was forbidden.  
Nobody would allow me that. If… I'm  
allowed to declare my wish, then… I…  
I WANT TO LIVE!"_

_Nico Robin_

_Robin POV_

Venus's smile unnerved me. It was the smile of a sly fox with its eyes on the chicken coop. I was beginning to reconsider my standpoint, but I couldn't back down now. It was too late to take it all back. Even through my doubt, I was confident in my abilities. Whatever the love goddess threw at me, I would be ready for it.

Never in my life had I ever been more wrong.

Venus led me into a different room away from the Valkyrie and my nakama, isolating me from any possible means of assistance. Nami was left fuming with a lovesick cook in the throne room. But Lady Freyja didn't seem keen on keeping the humans in her presence any longer than necessary. I didn't want to drag out this process.

The door the goddess and I had just passed through slammed shut, enclosing me in a dank chamber, water dripping from the stone crevices in the walls. It stank of mildew and mold and what I thought must be rotting fish. A strange place to hold the test. Venus seemed to think so as well, because with a wave of her hand, the room turned into a lavish VIP room, complete with cups of coffee on a small table situated between two futons.

Venus faced me, her face changing to that of a woman with long black hair and blue eyes, golden snakes dangling from her ears. "Robin," she said. "That's a beautiful name."

"Thank you," I said, keeping my face as lackadaisical as possible.

"Come on, lighten up," the love goddess chirped. "All I'm going to do is ask you a few questions."

"Questions," I repeated.

"Mhm! Make yourself comfortable."

She gestured behind me to one of the futons, cushions of red velvet. I settled into the seat, helping myself to a cup of coffee. I was about to take a sip when an air of caution swept over me, and I returned the cup to its coaster. Venus remained standing, playing with her earrings, and I suddenly recognized her face. Boa Hancock, the warlord, claimed most beautiful woman in the world. I could see why Venus might adopt those features. She really was a sight.

"Might we begin?" I asked.

"What is the air speed velocity of an unladen Alabastan swallow?"

I blinked. "What?"

"I asked you the air-speed velocity of an unladen Alabastan swallow," Venus repeated simply.

I grit my teeth. This was no test of ambition or bravery as I had been expecting. This was a test of basic knowledge! I knew the answer, of course, but it still baffled me. I spoke the answer and attempted to ask what was going on, but Venus wasn't giving me any time to question her.

"List in order the names of the current Vice Admirals in which they were promoted."

Venus continued with questions such as these for maybe fifteen minutes. Sometimes she asked about the World Government, sometimes geography, some history, et cetera. Nothing that was truly worth my effort. Time was wasting and I had neither the time nor energy for silly quizzes like this. I hadn't been able to check Zoro's time before he had been stolen by the woman standing a few feet away, so I didn't know how much time I had left before he would be gone forever.

"What is the –?"

"Stop!" I interrupted, standing abruptly from the couch. "I won't answer another question! I demand you give me the real test!"

"What are you talking about?" Venus asked innocently. "This is the test."

"No, all this is doing is testing my patience," I growled, not even attempting to shelter my frustration and anger under a veil of forced calm. "You are wasting my time on useless information. Zoro is counting on me to rescue him, and believe you me, nothing is going to stop me."

Venus finally sat on the other futon, crossing her legs at the knee and propping her chin in the cup of her hand daintily. "He's counting on you."

I suddenly found interest in my sandaled feet. "He's saved me countless times before, sometimes without his knowing. The first time, we had just met. He didn't fall for my usual methods of bribery, teaching me that not everyone is vulnerable. And then again, in a place not unlike Valhalla." I hugged my arms, my vulnerability suddenly exposed to the love goddess. "I can still feel his strong arm around my shoulders as he caught me, just before I fell. He didn't have to do that. I had only just joined the crew; he had no obligations at all, so why? Was I so quickly a part of this family?"

My eyelids slid closed. "I thought I was wrong to think I had already assimilated into the Straw Hats. When Foxy chose me to be a part of his crew, I heard him say he knew I would betray them eventually. It hurt. It wasn't my fault I had been chosen. Granted, I had planned o leaving them someday, anyway, but not like that. So I was surprised when I was welcomed back into the crew after Foxy's defeat, albeit my apparent eagerness to change my alliances again.

"I had convinced myself by that time that Zoro would never really accept me into the group. And at first, I was okay with that. But as our journey wore on, I found myself longing for his company. I started pulling all-nighters so I could read while he trained, and I engaged him in light conversation whenever the urge struck me, which was often.

"Everything I had built while travelling with the Straw Hats crashed down when Aokiji appeared." My fingers tightened around myself. "I knew immediately we were all in danger. The appearance of any Admiral means trouble, but to me, Aokiji was the worst of them all. I didn't dare let down my guard. And I was right; he attacked us. Well, me first, and I was sure I was going to die." A light smile breathed through my lips. "But Zoro, he saved me. Again. I could read his body language like the runes on a poneglyph: he was angry, a tiger ready to pounce. Why? Did this mean he finally trust me? Sees me as one of the crew? I didn't know. But he had stopped Aokiji. No one had protected me like that before, and here he was, doing it for the second time in a row." A tear slipped from my eye and carved a shining path down my cheek. "That, I think, is when I realized –"

"That you loved him," Venus finished the sentence for me.

I dipped my head. "Yes, but I didn't tell him. Why should I? They were my feelings. He would reject them, anyway. Zoro wasn't that kind of person to fall into a romantic relationship with anyone, much less me."

"What else?" Venus pressed.

"Enies Lobby happened," I whispered. "I should have known after the appearance of Admiral Aokiji, but I had let down my guard. I had no choice but to betray them. It was for their sake. And for his. Seeing him, Luffy, Chopper and Nami burst into Iceburg's room to take me back, it took all my willpower to appear uncaring. In all honesty, I wanted to go with them, but they didn't know the danger I posed to their safety. Why couldn't they just leave me be? I surrendered to CP9 so that the Straw Hats be allowed full pardon. I didn't need saving. I only wanted to die; that was my destiny. I was the Devil's Child, shunned all my life only for being a survivor of the infamous island. It was a painful twenty years: hunted by the government, finding no place to live for fear of betrayal, scavenging for food. The Government had caught up to me one day, like I knew they would, but not like this. I was going to die soon, and I accepted that fact. My only consolation was that Zoro and the others would survive.

"I wanted nothing more than to die. To forget and dissolve al weaknesses like love, friendship, and family into darkness. They called me the demon child, and for good reason. I was the lowest of the low, the hated. Death was my constant companion, and I had resolved myself that I would soon become its. But the Straw Hats…" I laughed lightly. "Those pirates forced me to live. They forced me to see the world and myself in a different light and embrace it. I never thought I could be so happy in my life to reunited with the people I could call nakama. Friends. Those who would protect me. They would stay with me, though the hardships. They would protect me with their very lives. They didn't care about my past, about who I was, or what the World Government. To them, I was Nico Robin, their friend and crew member, and didn't care about anything else. My only regret was that I could not continue to travel as a Straw Hat and share in their memories..."

Saul's voice rang in my ears, his words confusing to an eight year old child, but a life-long motto for a grown woman. _There's no such thing as being born into this world to be alone!_

"I found out that the key to release me from my sea stone shackles, the number five key, had been retrieved by Zoro. Was it fate? No, I don't believe in those types of things. But an omen? Maybe. After the events of Enies Lobby, I was one hundred percent convinced Zoro counted me as one of his nakama. All previous doubt of my loyalty had been extinguished from his mind. We exchanged small talk later, and I felt the words he spoke came from the heart.

"I had never planned to marry anyone, much less have children. Even when I realized my affections, I had no intention on furthering that dream, nor the relationship. At least, not until I was positive he felt the same way. But I couldn't help but think what a good fatherly figure Zoro was." I laughed again just thinking about it. "I haven't told anyone this, but I had seen him with the children before we met in the shopping center. I planted an eye and ear and sat back; despite the kids' hectic ways, he seemed to know what to do and how to go about doing it. Just like a real father's instincts. And when I confronted him, the red on his face was priceless. And I meant it when I said it suited him. I really did.

"When we left Water 7, I thanked the crew again for saving me. The Straw Hats took in in stride, but Zoro only shrugged it off. 'Do you really think anyone on this crew would accept a nakama dying for them?' Those were his exact words.

"So why!?" My voice rose unintentionally. "Did he even believe himself when he said that!? That hypocrite!"

"What did he do?" Venus asked like a curious psychiatrist. Though I could tell by the expression on her face that she already had a pretty good idea.

"He died, that's what," I answered darkly. "Bartholomew Kuma is known for not delivering mercy to anyone. The fact that he agreed to take his life instead of Luffy's was probably because he had an ulterior motive, but he did not do it because he had compassion or respect for what Zoro wanted to do." I quickly wiped away a tear I had just felt escape a duct. "Luffy would die for any of us, but he knows his limits. On the other hand, Zoro is too reckless. He couldn't even imagine our reactions to finding him dead. He couldn't even come close. He probably didn't stop to think about how we would feel. How _I _would feel.

"That's why I need to find the River Chai and bring him back. All these efforts would prove to be worthless if I'm trapped here answering petty trivia. He's saved me, and now it's my turn to return the favor."

I was aware I had just blabbed my entire relationship with the deceased swordsman to Venus, but at the moment I was indifferent to that fact. It remained that I've given her my reasons, and whatever the love goddess made of it was up to her. But I was standing firm by my words, and nothing could alter my course.

Venus observed me for a few minutes, her expression unreadable. Cool and calculating eyes stared deep into mine as if assessing the honesty of my monologue. Slowly, she suddenly broke eye contact and raised her hands. I tensed, ready to fight.

_Clap, clap, clap._

I watched, dumbfounded, as the goddess applauded me. Her perfect lips pulled back into an elegant smile. She was applauding me? What for?

"Bravo, bravo!" she laughed.

"I'm afraid I don't understand," I said, still cautious.

"You passed my test," Venus chortled. "It was never about the trivia. It was how long you could stand the pressure hanging over your shoulders. You got up to twelve questions: fifteen is the failing point." She moved closer to me, putting her hands on my shoulders and forcing me to join her back on the futon. "And that eulogy was heartwarming! Seriously, I'm sobbing."

"It was testing my commitment, not physical abilities," I summarized.

"Yep!" Venus chirped. "But there's a few more questions for extra credit. Or you can leave now and rescue your swordsman."

I was never one to back down from a challenge, no matter the stakes. "Ask."

"Answer me these questions three, 'ere the other side ye see," Venus said mysteriously. Her face morphed again, and I held back a light gasp. The short black hair, long nose and bright cerulean eyes belonged to me. She had assumed my features, and was pulling them off marvelously.

"Question one," Venus began. "What is your name?"

"Nico Robin," I said, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"Question two: What do you seek?"

"I seek Zoro's soul and body returned to me."

"Look me in the eyes," the love goddess instructed, and the two pairs of identical eyes met in harmony. "Question three. Can you admit to yourself that you love him?"

I blinked. Since my revelation, I hadn't spoken those three important words aloud. I didn't know if it would confirm anything for the goddess of love, but actually admitting it aloud to myself would lift a tremendous weight from my shoulders. It was then I realized why Venus had adopted my face: to tell myself I loved Zoro would finalize my affections. I had always been afraid to speak it aloud, lest I be heard. And there in lies the problem; if I feared others, even my own nakama, discovering these feelings nesting inside my heart, then I couldn't say I was in love at all.

I didn't blink. "I love him with all my heart," I said slowly and calmly, not diverting my gaze from hers. "One may tolerate a world of demons for the sake of an angel."

Venus analyzed my answer. I didn't know if she believed me, but her choice would decide my and Zoro's face. Out of context, I wondered if that was really what I looked like when I was thinking hard. Do my eyebrows really scrunch up like that?

"Find Hermes," Venus said suddenly, bringing my full attention back to her. "He is the messenger of the gods, and guide to travellers. Tell him that I sent you."

"Wait!" I said. "I don't quite understand!"

"Silly, I'm giving you directions to the River Chai," the goddess smiled a bright, childish smile, a strange sight with my face. "But I'm not going to let Nami and Sanji ruin this. So you're going alone."

"Then what was the extra credit for?"

Her fist plopped into an open palm. "Right. You get an extra thirty minutes!"

The inside of my arm began to sting. Looking down, I saw numbers etched in purple glowing in plain view.

2:46:12

It was the same timer device Zoro had! This was Venus's way of telling me to hurry up or panic. Either way, I had just under three hours left and no time to waste.

"I'll entertain your friends while you're gone," she encouraged. "Remember, Hermes! Aphrodite sent you!"

I didn't have time to speak before the room suddenly went black.

**Brownie points to those who get the Monty Python reference. :D**

**And we all know Robin didn't plant an eye and ear on Zoro in the post-Enies Lobby arc, but I had to include it. Imagine if she did see all that housework, though. How nice would that be? XD**

**Anyway, please review! Hopefully the next chapter will be out soon! Chao!**

**Coming Up: Chapter 13 – Run, Robin, run!**


	13. Run, Robin, Run!

**Phew! Finally, the chapter is done. Sorry for the long wait; I've taken to writing the chapters down during school then typing them up later, so due to this method I can't write 24/7. I'm doing the best I can, though, so bear with me. I don't plan to abandon this anytime soon.**

**I think you guys will like this. It's fairly short, but what I wanted is in there, so please review and tell me what you think.**

**Review Corner:**

**DirectionallyChallengedKensh i – **Here's a Band-Aid. Ohmygosh, I get an iPod tab! Yay! I feel special now! Hehe, thanks for the review, and here's the update you can stop waiting for. :D

**NinjaSheik – **She said it. I kind of liked that bit. Dramatic. Can't wait for your update. If Robin gets preggo I'm not sure if I'll be surprised or satisfied.

**UltimateC3 – **Dramatic buildup, coming right up! :D I don't plan to slow down, but I tend to, what with my schedule. Believe it or not, I do actually have a life. XD

**00000000000000000000Zero0000 0 – **XD I can do that. A little bonus chapter at the end, would that satisfy you? Oh wow. And he was, but Venus isn't too keen of having other women take what is rightfully Robin's. And to put him in a soul jar was the best thing I could come up with. I had half a mind to combine the body and soul already, but then I thought… _Let's spice it up!_

**graceling42 – **Are you suggesting that coconuts migrate? Clock of Death or Clock of Hope? Which one is it?! No Justin Timberlake. I don't like his music all that much. My name is Santoryuu3. My quest is to complete this fanfiction. My favorite color is blue. Enjoy the update! :D

**Kaitaru Stark-Laufeyson – **I UPDATED. Yes. That means you have to update tonight. XD Or right now. That works too. You enjoying New York? How's it being the states? Nah, I'm moving to Tokyo someday. I haven't been to either city myself, but pretty soon I will. "Suddenly, a magical pink unicorn-Pegasus descended toward her, and Robin mounted it. In the blink of an eye, it appeared before the god Hermes, who led her to wherever the River Chai is. The end."

**Rasaxe – **The Black Knight. I actually think Zoro'd probably be the Black Knight. "I've had worse." Mihawk: "You're bloody arm's off!" Zoro: "No it isn't!" Mihawk: "Then what's that then?" Zoro: "Just a flesh wound." Lol! He'd keep fighting until he died.

**armaani – **I'm going to pretend I understand God of War 3. "Oh, I know. He was zooming all over the place and it took me forever to catch him." Pervert. Snake earrings should have immediately given away Hancock. Well, Zoro's color is green, and Robin's is purple. It seemed appropriate. Robin, Sanji, and Brook know Zoro's secret. I may have let something slip, so I'll go back and check. And I've started on your chapter, so don't think I've forgotten. :D

**Nami Swannn – **I'm glad I'm not the only person who has seen it. "Off you go!"

**Tare-chan – **That's what Robin was waiting for: a chance to show off her skills. But you're right, Venus is the goddess of love, so of course it's going to be something related to that. Honestly, when I first started, I had no idea what the test was, but I just started writing and it came out pretty nice if you ask me. :D Yes, it is an "In Time" reference. I like that movie (not so much the ending, but it's an awesome concept). Thanks for the review, and enjoy the update.

**AranisuShousan – **That was my favorite part, too. And don't worry, the part you're waiting for is arriving very soon. You're very welcome, and here's the next one. That's for your continuous support!

**DelFina18 – **I'm glad you thought that way. I think it is befitting of the goddess of love. Well, you can stop waiting, because here it is! Enjoy!

**animefan (Guest) – **I'm updating now. I'm sorry for making you wait, my life is nothing but a jumbled mess at this point. -_-"

**Thanks for the reviews, and please enjoy the latest chapter!**

Chapter 13 – Run, Robin, Run!

_"They call me the demon child."  
__Nico Robin_

Robin POV

"Aphrodite sent you?"

"That's correct," I huffed. "She wants you to lead me to the River Chai."

The tall man twirled his caduceus in his fingers thoughtfully. "Does she now."

Hermes was not the kind of god I expected him to be. In fact, quite the opposite. Instead of an ancient Greek toga and sandals, the messenger god was dressed in a light joggers uniform, a large tote slung over his shoulder. Salt-and-pepper hair stuck up haphazardly in all directions like he'd woken up late for a jog through a hurricane.

I had found him quite haphazardly, after asking directions from a creature similar to Chopper, only with a hairy upper body of a man. Hermes had been lounging on marble steps leading into a tall castle-like structure, talking animatedly into a den den muchi. The man on the other end was demanding a discount on scrap metal; the forges isn't the best place to make drachma.

"I don't make the prices," the god had been yelling. "Take it up with the dwarves or the telekhines."

Without wasting time, I approached Mercury's Greek equivalent before he could disappear. The satyr, as I learned the half-goat creature was called, had warned me Hermes was always on the go, and he's never in the same place for ten minutes. I had the misfortune of just missing him before he vanished with a flap of his winged sandals. Only by sheer luck did I see him reappear in front of me on the steps several minutes later. I had been running nonstop since I found myself smack dab in the middle of a carriage race of some sort.

"Can you pay?" Hermes asked, ignoring the ringing den den in his hand.

I pat my nonexistent pockets. "No."

"Then I can't help you."

"But –!" I began, but Hermes held up a finger, silencing my protests.

"Hello?" he spoke in to the transponder snail.

"Has my new sword arrived yet?" A gruff masculine voice spoke. "Hephaestus is takin' his own sweet time, an' so're you!"

"Calm down, Ares," Hermes interjected. "I'll give you an overnight shipping package –"

"Now?"

"—when it's done, no extra charge," Hermes finished as if the man on the other line hadn't spoken. "Take it or leave it."

The snail closed its eyes with a clank to indicate the messenger god had hung up on his client. He turned his attention back to me, ho had just finished checking the timer on my arm for the third time. "And what are you still doing here?"

"I told you, I need to find the River Chai. Aphrodite sent me, it's a matter a life and death."

Hermes put his face close to mine. "You're not an automation?"

"No," I said, relating in my mind an automation to a cyborg.

"Satyr?"

"No."

"Muse?"

"No."

"Then what are you?"

"Human."

Hermes pulled away, rolling up his sleeve to check his watch. I subconsciously cast my eyes down to my own watch again, the numbers ticking by steadily.

2:10:19

"I have a few spare minutes," Hermes reasoned aloud to himself. "Athena can wait on that delivery, but I've already got Pegasus working double time on Zeus's shipments…" He looked at me again. "Not enough to get you all the way, mind."

A smile pulled at my lips. "That's good enough."

The wings on his sandals began to beat gracefully, lifting the messenger god into the air. He wrapped a hand around my wrist. "Hold on," he smirked. "Going down."

"Down? But the legend says highest temple!"

"Doesn't say where the highest temple has to be, does it?"

My stomach crawled up in my throat as I was suddenly yanked downward, plummeting straight through the ground. Colors rushed around my eyes in a tangled mess, wind whistling in my ears as Hermes's sandals flapped at the speed of light. I wanted to cry out, but kept my lips tightly secure; I didn't want to give Hermes any satisfaction.

I did allow myself a grunt as I suddenly slammed into something hard and cold, all the breath knocked from my lungs. Hermes stood a few feet away, once again on his den den with an irate Ares. I pulled myself from the rocky earth I had landed on. A dank, musty smell invaded my nostrils, a cold air settling on my already chilled skin and sending goose bumps up my arms. High above my head, the ceiling was riddled with sharp stalactites. A black river raged in a deep trench by my foot; the liquid frothed over the bank and sizzled as it splattered against the stones. I stepped from it hastily to avoid being burned.

Was this the River Chai? It didn't exactly meet my expectations. _'Chai' _could loosely be interpreted to _'life', _and the river didn't seem to represent that at all. My eyes analyzed my surroundings; Venus – or Aphrodite – had said that Zoro would be waiting by the river. I didn't see anything remotely humanoid that could be identified as a body, much less that of the swordsman.

"Hermes-san," I said, looking around for the god who had been standing a few feet away just a moment before. He had apparently wandered off, and now the only thing I could see was a slip of paper where he had been standing. I scooped it up, somehow deciphering the messy handwriting.

"God called out," I read aloud. "Follow the souls to Erebus, then to Asphodel. Find the Field of Elysium, and then Isles of the Blessed and talk to Adonis. He'll help you."

I raised an eyebrow. Who was Adonis? The name rang a bell, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Hoping for a hint, I continued reading.

"I suggest you hurry. It's a long walk across Asphodel. Also be wary of Cerberus. He knows the difference between a soul and a living person. Best of luck!"

I folded the paper delicately. Cerberus. A feeling in my gut told me this wasn't a sick interpretation like the one Luffy had tamed on Thriller Bark. This seemed like an ideal place to hide the guard to the Underworld.

That was where I was. Erebus, souls, the Isles of the Blessed, Cerberus. It all connected to the land of the dead. It also explained the cold and the black river. It wasn't the River Chai, but the River Styx. The only missing link was Adonis, but I supposed I would know him when I saw him. I began walking, my footsteps echoing down the dark cavern.

I knew I was getting close when the musty air turned even colder, my breath clearly visible as it escaped my lips. I hugged myself to keep the warmth contained within me. I rounded a corner and was met with a peculiar sight.

A massive crowd of people converged together, standing in three lines, each branching beneath different arches. The first two lines were moving steadily, the people in line not speaking a word to each other as they passed. A big sign above the arches they walked under read "Welcome to Erebus." The third line was crawling, one person at a time passing into a tent with a hooded ghoul on either side directing traffic. Here, the sign read, "Judgment Pavilion."

Hermes had said to go through Erebus. But he had also said to be wary of Cerberus, and I wasn't seeing the three-headed dog anywhere. Would he be inside the gate, or maybe on a potty break? Whatever the reason, he wasn't here, and I figured it to be best to avoid an unnecessary confrontation.

I stepped into the second of the two Erebus lines, which seemed to be the fastest. As I slowly neared the arch, my senses went on high alert, and I stopped walking. A chill spread through me as the souls queued up behind me continued walking. I knew I had heard it; it was next to impossible not to.

It came again, deeper than before, and just as menacing. An unusually hot wind blew in my face, whipping my hair from around my shoulders. Very slowly, I raised my eyes to the ceiling, pupils shrinking in surprise and horror.

The creature had been mostly invisible, blending in with the darkness of the dark cavern. Until it moved. Six eyes glared down at me, yellow irises glowing with rage and power. Three pairs of lips curled a low growl, gobs of saliva descending down from between sharpened teeth. I swallowed nervously.

Cerberus growled again, its right head lowering toward me, bringing the middle head along with it. "Good boy," I said, somehow managing to mask the weakness in my tone. "Heel."

Cerberus barked, a sound equivalent to that of a grenade exploding in your hear. I clapped my hands to the sides of my head to stop the ringing. My head throbbed.

I didn't have a bone or a ball for him to play with, like most dogs would enjoy. I didn't have a giant piece of meat (besides myself) to chew on. My brain scrambled to come up with some sort of remedy to this situation.

"Cerberus-san," I tried. "I would very much appreciate it if you let me pass."

"_GRRRRRRRRROOOWWWWWL."_

"No, okay then. Um…"

"_GRRRRRRRR."_

I could see no other alternative. I raised my arms, crossing my wrists over my chest in preparation to subdue the monster. When suddenly, my memory database recovered a file I had stored long ago, a plausible solution to my problem.

"Hello, Cerberus-san!" I called sweetly. "Do you like music?"

All three pairs of ears twitched, nostrils dilating.

Listen, I think you'll like it." I prayed I would remember the words to the old and forgotten Oharan lullaby.

"_When the sun rises in the sky,_

_Look to the Knowledge Tree._

_When you lay down to bed at night,_

_Look to the Knowledge Tree._

_The Knowledge Tree knows you,_

_And you know the Knowledge Tree._

_No one likes to be alone,_

_Not even the Knowledge Tree."_

I wasn't the best vocalist on the Grand Line, but Cerberus seemed to think I was. The massive dog blinked, ears perked and eyes trained on me. I had his undivided attention. I wasn't sure what the signals meant, but I was happy with them. I wasn't being eaten.

"_Look to the Knowledge Tree,_

_It's hear, it's now, open you eyes_

_To the Knowledge Tree._

_Right here, right now, explore_

_Among the wonders of the Knowledge Tree,_

_And learn from its wise lessons._

_Open your mind to the Knowledge Tree."_

Cerberus opened all three of his mouths in a wide yawn, hot breath blowing my hair from my face. The eyes drooped, tongues lolling. A crash and rumbling of the ground told me the guard dog of the Underworld had sat down, massive paws appearing from nowhere as me moved to lay down.

Almost too late did I realize that he was falling on top of me.

I bolted for the Erebus sign and the monster crashed down behind me. The blast from the giant body settling on the hard ground rocketed me forward, tumbling like a weed toward the entrance. The other ghoulish guards ran toward him, trying to figure out the problem with their main force. I somehow regained my footing, wincing as small shots of pain raced up my leg.

As I passed through the gate, alarms blared, lights flashing. I left it all behind, racing into Asphodel. I dared not look back.

The field I found myself in stretched as far as I could see. The black grass had been trampled by eons of dead feet, an occasional black-trunked tree visible as I moved past. Souls moved silently past me, not trying to talk but just looking like… well, death.

I must have sprained an ankle during my tumble, so I dragged it along behind me with a makeshift walking stick stolen from a tree. My eyes were set on a sort of golden glow on the horizon, where I was almost certain the fields of Elysium were. My database told me the place was where all the good souls went when they died, and I had no doubt Zoro's soul was the purest of the pure, granted that he had taken a life or two.

I finally grew so impatient that I dropped by walking stick and discarded the pain, my feet slamming against the hard packed earth beneath me.

_Wait for me._

**Again, sorry for the long wait.**

**If you know the story of Adonis, yay! If you don't, look it up, because it might play a key role in the next chapter or two. But next time, we'll see what's Zoro's been doing. How fun will that be? Hopefully it'll be released soon.**

**And I just want to alert all of you… Even if I finish it, I will be out of Internet reception for two weeks starting March 20, and it won't be posted until I return. Hopefully, though, that won't be the case. If I'm following one of your stories and chapters are posted, don't be offended if I don't review immediately.**

**Thanks!**

**Coming Up: Chapter 14 – Living is a Privledge**


	14. Living is a Privilege

**Well, this is my going away present before I go on hiatus for a while. I hope you all enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Also, the little dream he has can be any period of time before Enies Lobby, so you can decide. I didn't specify a time because I wanted to leave that up to you.**

**Well... please don't attack me. I'm innocent, I swear! I had no intention of causing any deaths due to bloodloss, vomiting rainbows, or dehydration. He... he...**

**Enjoy, and expect a chapter when I return!**

**Review Corner:**

**NinjaSheik – **It's not your imagination. It seemed longer on paper, but maybe that's because of my handwriting. XD Well, I thought about three headed dogs, and I thought about Harry Potter and Fluffy, singing to make it fall asleep. I looked at Percy Jackson, too, who tried to play fetch with him, but Robin didn't have any chew toys (besides herself). Works. I also bought Season 4 Voyage Three the other day to take with me on the trip. :D

**graceling42 – **George and Martha are on a long-awaited vacation. I did put him in a jogger's uniform, though. No, you had it right. Robin didn't have a red rubber ball for him to play with from Waterland in Denver, Colorado. So Harry Potter was next in line. If you think about it, Percy, Annabeth and Grover crossed Asphodel pretty quick in order to get back the master bolt before the solstice, so I guess time moves a bit differently in the Underworld. And as for history… I had a thought that the Void Century that Robin's been researching is actually the world as we know it now, and the reason it's hidden from history is because of an apocalypse or something. So I suppose Greece did exist (somewhat) but I modified it a little.

**dukefan01 – **History, mythology and One Piece all rolled into one is something I've been thinking about a long time. Originally, Myth Island was supposed to be uninhabited. I like this better, don't you? Thanks for the review!

**Kaitaru Stark-Laufeyson – **Forrest Gump shall never die! I think I've seen about four places where he's run… and where he stopped in Utah. Couldn't survive without some Harry Potter in there. When you reviewed the last chapter, it's way past the weekend (British time). So I suppose now that I've accepted these cookies, you must update within the hour you read this. Or I'll set Cerberus on you.

**Armaani – **No Charon. Hermes is actually the guide to the Underworld; Charon just drives the boat. Poor Cerberus doesn't deserve that! I bet he hardly gets sung to! … you just noticed? Did you skip over Venus's entrance in Lady Frejya's throne room? XD I don't remember the Risky Brothers telling anyone… they were the squirrel zombies, weren't they? Those two pirates who told Sanji I replaced with Brook in Chapter 3. The song wasn't canon, I made it up. Sounds cool, though.

**DirectionallyChallengedKensh i – **YOUR FANGIRL NOSEBLEED MIGHT GET A BIT WORSE… I'M SORRY IF YOU NEED A BLOOD TRANSPLANT.

**The Knight of Thirteen – **Haha, thanks so much! Enjoy the update!

**00000000000000000000Zero0000 0 – **The kill count was a bit under-exaggerated. I know it's more, but it's used as an estimated figure. Like, when people say, "I've kissed once or twice" when in reality it's more like ten or twenty. That is a very good point, however, so I'll address it sometime in the near future. Thanks for the review!

**Guest – **I was waiting to see if anyone would point out the chew toy. I don't think Robin will mind. But I think you will, after reading this. I should probably put a few more locks on my doors…

**Tare-chan – **Lazy bones. Well, the gods have to adapt to the changing times as well, don't they? I'm sure he wears togas to official parties and things like that. Yeah, a song. It came from Harry Potter… "the trick to taming any beast is to know how to calm it. Take Fluffy for example: just play him a bit of music and he falls straight to sleep." Zoro's side will be a bit confusing, but hopefully it will all work out in the end. Thanks for the review!

**DelFina18 – **Zalando. This name is foreign to me… TO GOOGLE! I keep putting Robin through so much crap… everything that could go wrong _is _going wrong, and I feel so bad for her. But she shalt triumph eventually! Well… I'm sorry if I disappoint you a bit, as to what Zoro's been doing. There's not a whole lot you can do locked in a jar. XD

**shadowangel9999 – **Hehe, you got it. :D No one else has, though. Hmmm…. November of 2011? That's a bit excessive! Granted, I chatted with someone who hadn't since about late 2009, so you're not alone. Ha, thanks for the review and enjoy the update!

**piratempress – **Thanks for the review! I probably could go back and put a lot more it, but I like it the way it is. Enjoy the update!

**ZoroandNatsu – **All thirteen chapters in a day? That's impressive. And your words truly mean a lot; I dream of being a published author someday, so this is great practice. And thanks for reviewing my other stories as well, some of which I had forgotten I had written. Enjoy the next chapter!

**Viciada desde 2005 – **Wait no longer, here it is! Thanks for the review!

**blueper – **Thank you very much for your review, and please enjoy the update!

**Thanks you guys, you're the best. :D**

Chapter 14 – Living is a Privilege

"_When you realized you were no  
match for me, you should have run.  
And yeah, I have some things I  
don't want to cut, but I'll just ask:  
__Have you ever encountered a wild animal  
__that you can guarantee will never bite  
__a person? I haven't."  
__Roronoa Zoro_

_Zoro POV_

Well.

For being alone in this dark cavern, where I couldn't even see my hand in front of my face (and believe me, I'd tried), I was actually kind of comfortable, despite the dank and musty air, condensation forming on my forehead. Goosebumps travelled up my arms, and I rubbed them to drive away the chills. I wasn't sure if my eyes were open or closed. My back was pressed against something cold and rough, worn away like someone else had leaned on this very spot.

Having found myself here with no whoop-de-doo, I somehow managed not to go insane. Man goes insane when confined in a dark space for extended periods of time, but I wasn't going to fall for it. My instincts told me to keep up my guard, but maybe I was already insane, and it was just the madness talking.

I wasn't sure where the instinct came from, though. Or these numbers on my arm. They glowed green and ticked by steadily. I pass the times by watching them; when I first discovered them, they had read 3:52:29. Now it only had about an hour and a half left. I didn't know what they were for, but I had a feeling in my gut told me I wouldn't like whatever happened when it finally struck zero.

I felt my way toward the sound of trickling water, the only noise besides my own labored breathing. I cupped my hands and lowered them into the cool liquid, the sensation sending waves of tingles up my arms as if reminding me of my existence. I longed to drink the water, but I didn't. For some reason, I knew I shouldn't. Because it was poisonous? Because it wasn't really water but a river of blood? Because it was salt water? Whatever the reason, it was dangerous.

"Damn it," I sighed aloud to myself, my voice reverberating around the hollow cave. I allowed the liquid to drip between my fingers and return to the stream until nothing remained.

I felt my way back to the rock I had claimed, my only source of light the glowing integers on my forearm. I resumed my usual time killer by watching the numbers slowly tick by.

5… 4… 3… 2… 1…59…

"Three hours, forty-two minutes, fifty nine seconds," I said aloud, making myself comfortable as possible on the rocky ground. My eyes drooped, the trickling water driving out the silent ringing in my ears. The lullaby was soft and pretty, lulling me into a daze.

29… 28… 27…

_5996…5997…5998…5999…6000…_

"_Excellent work, kenshi-san."_

_I put down my weights, looking over my shoulder with narrowed eyes. "It's nothing."_

_She smiled, flicking her deep ebony hair from her blue oculars as she approached. "Sometimes I think you do it on purpose."_

"_Do what?"_

"_Six thousand curls every day on the deck in plain sight of Miss Navigator and I," she specified with a light smirk on her lips, sitting in her usual deck chair casually. She crossed her legs at the knee and selected a book from the diverse stack on the table next to her. "Showing off."_

"_That's none of your business," I grumbled, rubbing a towel over my skin to cleanse it of sweat. "I can't let my body get weak, and there's not enough room on this ship for privacy."_

_Her cerulean orbs studied me coyly like I was some sort of exotic specimen under a microscope. "Do you have any weaknesses under those rippling pectorals?" she queried._

"_What?"_

_She didn't repeat herself, knowing full well I had heard her clearly. I found the question a bit offensive, and I pondered on how to answer her. She had only just joined the group, and by our leader's way of life we were officially nakama. But that didn't stop me from not trusting her in the slightest, which means I didn't have to tell her anything._

"_No," I finally replied, settling on the simplest and most concise choice._

"_No trick knees whatsoever? No sudden discs?"_

"_No," I repeated sharply, ending the interview firmly and quitting the place, my destination the men's room for a shower. I could hear her light giggling behind me, and I grimaced tightly. Damn woman trying to loosen me up. Gonna get under my skin and kill me from the inside like an incurable virus. I knew we shouldn't have let her join us._

_The water ran over my skin, washing away any residue the towel had neglected to remove. I sat in the narrow tub, closing my eyes and letting myself drift into meditation. My mind cleared of any thought, my breathing slowing in sync with my heart. My wet hair tickled my forehead a bit. Water stuck in my eyelashes._

_Barely a minute seemed to pass before a violent rocking shook the room, soapy water sloshing over the sides of the tub._

"_Who the hell is causing such a ruckus?" I growled, dressing myself and opening the door. "Hey!" I yelled. "Can't you morons –?" _

"_Watch out!"_

_My reflexes took over, leaping into a forward barrel roll to avoid a foot flying out of nowhere to repel the black iron sphere that was about to blast the bathroom to smithereens. The cannonball went flying back to its source, yells of men reaching my ears as it shattered the main hull of the enemy ship that has anchored next to us._

"_Oi, cook!" I yelled angrily, whirling around to face the owner of the foot. "You trying to kill me?"_

_He tapped his black-toed boot on the deck, lifting his lighter to the fresh cigarette dangling from his lips. "The world wouldn't miss you if I did, shitty marimo."_

"_Say that again, bastard."_

_He stuffed his hands in his pockets, putting his face right up close to mine. "The world wouldn't miss you if I did, shitty marimo!"_

"_This is not the time for fighting!" A female voice screeched. "Take your frustrations out on those guys over there."_

"_HAAAI~!" He noodled away._

"_Tch," I scoffed, drawing two of my katana. The blades hummed in my hands, thirsty for battle. I was itching for a fight, anyway. My meditation had been interrupted, and that wasn't the best thing to do. Not to mention ero-cook's pathetic attempts at insults had soured my mood further, and I needed something or someone to take it out on._

They'll do nicely, _I reasoned with a maniacal grin._

_Men fell beneath my swords, their screams of pain like music in my ears. A little demented I reasoned, but my katana thrived in my hands, and I would not deny them. They whirled and slashed and cut in a complex dance, moving in time with each other and my body to vent their restlessness on the victims. The soft side of me felt sorry for the poor bastards. The cold side wanted to bathe in their blood._

_I turned to attack the next victim, only to find there were none. They had all been annihilated. I sheathed my protesting swords as a flash of red suddenly entered my vision. Someone began to pound on my back obnoxiously, a wild grin curling his lips. A tic mark appeared on my forehead._

"_Oi! We kicked their asses, didn't we?"_

"_We did," I said dangerously, a warning for the raven-haired boy to stop touching me. He didn't, so I elbowed him in the gut. He didn't seem to notice, but he did finally ceased poking me, instead going to slap the blonde in my stead. I smirked._

"_Hey, where's…?" was all she had to say before blondie erupted into shrieks, our raven-haired leader jumping back at the cook's sudden movement._

"_GYAH! Where's my lovely goddess!?" He screamed, hands grabbing at his hair as his one visible eye scanned the piles of bodies around us._

_I did a headcount, groaning inwardly. The damn woman was missing. Long nose, witch, ero-cook, doctor, swordsman, and straw hat were all accounted for. Did she finally betray us? I wouldn't be surprised if she had, but considering we had just fought off marines, I doubted she had switched alliances quite so quickly._

_That's when something bonked against the side of the boat. It was only a small think, but it was enough for me to hear, being the closed to the railing. I peered over the edge and noticed a small lavender shoe. A woman's, maybe a size eight. Had we fought any female marines?_

_Wait. Hadn't she been wearing those shoes?_

_With a curse, I unstrapped my katana and put them on the deck, placing a boot on the rail. Ignoring the shouts of my companions, I dove into the water, the salt stinging my eyes. If she had fallen or been pushed didn't matter to me. Her body hitting the water had been camouflaged among those of the enemies, and who knows how long ago it was._

_Why should I even care about this woman? She had practically taken a spot among us without the consent of the rest of us, but his word was the only thing she needed. She would betray us someday, so why the hell should I even save her if she's a danger to us? Because dartboard would never let me live it down? Because our leader would flip off on me? Or was it something else?_

_I was beginning to run out of air when I finally spotted the bright colors of her tank top. Her hair blended with the darkness of the ocean, rippling gracefully with the light currents. Bubbles escaped her slightly parted lips. I grabbed at her outstretched hand, pulling her limp body to mine before kicking for the surface, my lungs burning. My instincts told me to leave her to die and save myself, but my hands wouldn't let go, like the way her body folded into my chest was perfect. I grit my teeth and continued kicking._

_With a gasp, I broke the surface, spluttering excess water from my eyes and nose. Her head was on my shoulder, her hair plastered to her face and sticking to my own skin. I shifting her body to my shoulder as a ladder hit the water next to me. I scaled it easily, coming up on the deck of our ship and turning over the woman to the reindeer. He wasted no time performing chest compressions, ero-cook's volunteering falling on deaf ears._

_It wasn't long before she coughed, the expelled water from her lungs trickling down her chin. The entire crew collectively sighed with relief. She opened her eyes, those mysterious orbs finding the only other person soaked to the skin. Namely, me, off to the side wringing out my shirt._

"_Thank you, kenshi-san," she whispered, her voice a bit hoarse._

_I dipped my head. "Love-cook would have killed me if I hadn't."_

"_Don't talk to a woman that way, shitty marimo! And who are you calling a love-cook!?"_

"_You, dartboard-eyebrow!"_

"_Thank you… _Zoro!"

Zoro! Zoro!

My eyes cracked open, a bubble of snot popping all over my face. I raised my arm to wipe it away, casting a quick glance at the numbers. "Holy shit," I whispered. "Since when has it been down to ten minutes?"

"Zoro!"

The yell came again, faint, distorted, somewhere to my left. I looked to where the word was coming from, moving to my hands and knees. I could somewhat distinguish the voice as feminine, but I hadn't heart any other voice besides my own, so it was difficult to tell.

"Zoro, if you're there, please answer!"

Oh, so Zoro was a name. Was it mine? I crawled toward the source, feeling my way across the craggy floor. I stopped when my fingers jammed against the wall. Wincing slightly, I placed my palm against the rock that encompassed my prison. I was sure the voice had come from here. It was so frantic, so anxious, that I compared it to an employee, already on probation, being late for work. But I also detected a hint of desperation.

"Stand back," another voice put in, this one deeper than the first. A man? "I'll have to break the rock."

"Please, hurry!"

My mind may be scrambled, but I could at least figure out the 'stand back' also applied to me. My feet moved quickly, running backward and carrying me away from the source. A pounding not coming from me echoed in the chamber. Cracks of light appeared through the darkness like lightning bolts against a stormy sky.

I sudden tripped on a loose stone below my feet and falling on my rear with a crash, the back of my head cracking against the compact rock. Stars danced across my vision, and I rolled onto my stomach as a tremendous crash roared in my ears, blinding while light streaming into the cave and rendering my burning eyes sightless.

"Zoro!"

The first voice was much more distinct, definitely female. I could see her silhouette through my fingers as she raced toward me. I groaned as the light murdered eyes that hadn't observed daylight in hours or even days. She skidded to a halt, her breathing heavy like she'd run a marathon. Through my half-blinded eyes I looked up toward her, still unable to distinguish her features.

"Adonis-kun? Did Aphrodite say he would be back in his body?"

"How would I know, you're the one that talked to her."

"She just said he'd be waiting for me."

"Who cares if he's in his body or not? Fact is that it's saved you the trouble of figuring it out."

She seemed to agree with this statement and knelt next to me, her gentle hands wrapping tentatively around my shoulders as if she were afraid I would disappear the moment she looked away. She blocked the streaming light with her body to help my eyes adjust.

"How do you feel?"

It took me a moment to register she had been talking to me. I blinked, squinting up at her features. Damn, she was beautiful. Coal-black hair framed her elegant face, and bright knowledgeable blue eyes stared me down like she didn't actually believe I was here in the flesh. Her hands were slender, long fingers clenched around my shoulders. Her boobs were enormous, but respectfully concealed behind a white sheet.

She looked exactly like the woman from the dream I had just woken up from, but the mischievous look from the dream was replaced by one of love and championship. I felt like I knew her, but…

"Who are you?"

She blinked, a look of confusion on her radiant features. "What? Don't you recognize me?"

"Should I?"

"Maybe I should mention…" said the other male voice from before. He appeared behind the woman, only wearing a loincloth around his hips. His dark eyes were framed by a shock of shaggy brown hair, arms crossed over a muscular chest.

"What's wrong, Adonis-kun?"

"If this is the guy, and Aphrodite is the one that sent him here…"

"Then what?"

The man's eyes grew distant. "Then he probably won't remember who he is."

The hurt that came over her stabbed me right through the heart. Her gaze locked on mine. "Is that true?"

I avoided her eyes, crossing my legs beneath me. The fabric of my pants itched against my skin. "Yes," I confirmed for her quietly. "I don't know who you are, where this place is or who I am. I'm sorry."

**For anyone unfamiliar with the quote, it's from Manga chapter 687 Wild Animal, Zoro and Tashigi versus Monet.**

**When I return to the USA on April 6, I will most likely have the next chapter ready for you, so anticipate that! I'm very excited. Well, on that note, I bid thee adeu and leave you the next chapter's title!**

**Coming Up: Chapter 15 – Interlocked Souls**


	15. Interlocked Souls

**So! I have returned home to the states, and I have to admit that my trip overseas was simply fantastic! I had so much fun, and took a shitton of pictures! To be honest, I felt like Robin, poking around God-knows how many ancient ruins and reading an infinite number of plaques and information boards. Still, I plan to put them all into one massive video, so it'll be sort of like a…. documentary I guess. "A Teen's Journey Across Israel". Hmmm… but I'm sure you don't really care about that, do you?**

**To make up for my absence, I have made this an uber long chapter! Even without all the review replies below, it's still a whole lot of words in a document. Man. But it's one of my favorite chapters so far, so hopefully it'll be one of your favorites as well. :D If I haven't gotten around to reviewing your stories yet, I'll do it soon, I promise!**

**Review Corner:**

**00000000000000000000Zero00000 – **Yep. Clock is still ticking. But I hope it doesn't represent a rip off of a Disney kiss scene. Because even though Disney and Pixar were the complete identity of my childhood, the final scenes were too cliché and fast (though I did like the climax of Tangled, that was good). I think this will be a bit more in depth.

**graceling42 – **My sister was watching Hercules the other day, and it reminded me so much of those two! I couldn't resist. XD "No chance, no way, I won't say I'm in love! At least out loud, I won't say I'm in love!" KYA! :D The memories took a long time to write. A bit of foreshadow here, but I had to look up each episode and write in what I saw and what the characters said. And that's tough when you can only find WiFi for about fifteen minutes per hotel. Don't jinx them now, if you say something can't possibly go wrong, then that's an invitation for me to make that happen. *insert evil laugh here*

**NinjaSheik – **Happy belated eighteenth! Here's your birthday present. My seventeenth is in about two weeks, so I'm really excited! NO HE DOESN'T REMEMBER HER. I had half a mind to go "Son of Neptune" and have him only remember her name and nothing else, but then I thought, "Let's yank on those feels a little bit more." If that's not enough of an explanation, how about this: YOU, ma'am, who had Zoro avoiding Robin for the last two chapters of _Akuma's Love Voyage_ might as well have done the same thing. Wrenching on my heart strings one word at a time, and then making my heart explode in the confession. Well, now it's my turn. :D

**Dukefan01 – **Haha, thanks! We all know how deeply Zoro sleeps, even when he's suffering amnesia. Thank you for your kind review, and enjoy the update!

**Wolf Spirite – **Thanks so much; it's great to know that I'm loved. Throughout the story, Zoro had been losing his memory in small increments, as a way of slowly losing his presense in the mortal world. As his time grows shorter, so does his memory until he is so close to Time Up, that he doesn't remember anything at all. I hope that explains it. And yes, the River does have something to do with it, but that's a pocket full of spoilers!

**Kaitaru Stark-Laufeyson – **I told you that I couldn't update until I got back! I got the email for your chapter update while I was away but I couldn't get to reading it until I managed to find free WiFi at the airport. So I read it on the plane, but couldn't review. I type this on the plane as well, so if I haven't reviewed by the time this is posted then I shall get on it at once! Kaitaru-chan, if you keep predicting the end of this story, I'm going to have to do the exact opposite of what you say, which means that Zoro and Robin never kiss, Zoro dies, Robin commits suicide, and the Straw Hats split up. So _sheket. _(That's a new word I learned! It means to be quiet. :D)

**Nami Swannn – **Whoa! Who said anything about a fiancé? XD Thanks for your enthusiasm, and enjoy the ridiculously long update that took the entire trip to compose!

**DirectionallyChallengedKenshi – **A frog or a fish or a worm that you can guarantee won't bite you. Well… I'd like to see that! I apologize once again for going on this trip that has been planned for about a year and a half, since before I even joined this site, and making you suffer tremendously. Thank you again, and enjoy the update!

**UltimateC3 – **Nope. There are still about… eh… two or three more chapters until the end. I would so hate to be Robin right now. I'm really putting her through hell, and I'm sure she would hate me. But out of the country there were thousands upon thousands of years worth of ancient ruins, and I took lots of pictures and notes, so I think she would be a bit proud of me. Enjoy the update!

**Boop (Guest) – **Well, here is the next chapter you were so excited for! I hope it was worth the wait! Thank you for your review.

**shadowangel9999 – **Well… I've foreshadowed this through the chapters that something like this might happen, so it really shouldn't be that much of a surprise. I needed something to make the chapter longer, so I figured I might as well put a little ZoRo dream in there to increase tensions a little bit. I've been getting urges to draw a lot as well, lately, and I've been thinking about opening a DeviantArt account. Should I?

**Blueper – **Well, you'll learn in this chapter that Zoro actually isn't quite alive yet. It's kinda hard to explain, so take heart in the chapter to do that for me. The dream actually took a lot more editing than the rest of the chapter did. Why? Because Zoro would be conflicted about his actions, and it was so hard to decide how to write it, and then what words to use, etc. So I'm glad it turned out okay. :D

**armaani – **Your second favorite badass swordsman? Is the first Mihawk or a guy from some other game or anime? I actually think Westley from The Princess Bride is really badass. He didn't even break a sweat fighting Inigo. HA! Unexpected is my middle name! (Not really…) I knew it would throw people for a loop. I'm glad it worked! I'm looking forward to the next TT chapter, so get it to me ASAP! :)

**Broken Elsewhere – **Thank you so much; it really means a lot when I read that someone considers my story(ies) one of the best. I notice those spelling errors as well, but whenever I think about them, I'm in no place to fix them, and by the time I am, I've tucked them in the smallest, darkest corner of my memory. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and thanks again for your fabulous review!

**Tare-chan – **Talk about late. XD On the bright side, you don't have to wait long for the next chapter. You know how amnesiac people have little flashes of their memory return bits at a time? It's kind of like that; he has no idea who any of the people are, but he at least knows its him. 'Alive' yes. 'Dead' yes. I'll go in depth this chapter. :D As for the rest… spoilers. Keep reading, and thanks for your (late) review! XD

**Hanachu –** Thank you very much for your review! It really means a lot. And I certainly hope my OP knowledge is vast! Otherwise I couldn't make this a very convincing fic, would I? But I'll admit I do have to look some stuff up sometimes. Enjoy the update! :D

**Thanks again to everyone who reviewed, and enjoy the longest chapter yet!**

Chapter 15 – Interlocked Souls

"_I'm going to be the world's strongest  
swordsman! All I have left is my destiny!  
My name may be infamous,  
but it's gonna shake the world!"  
__Roronoa Zoro_

_Zoro POV_

I wasn't sure what to make of my dilemma. She was hugging me, this random woman who knew me, and yet I didn't know her. The simple idea of close contact with a complete stranger, when I was a stranger to myself, was a bit out of my comfort zone. So I put the heels of my hands against her shoulders and gently pushed her away, her arms willingly unraveling from around my shoulders.

She didn't resist, instead allowing her hands to fall to her sides. But after a moment, she raised a hand and put it against my chest, right over where my heart would be. I'm not sure what she felt… or didn't feel… because tears began to form in her eyes. I had upset her in some way, this person, and I did not want that feeling hanging over my shoulders.

"Your heart…" she whispered.

"Don't touch me," I said, shuffling away from her a bit. She watched me without saying anything, though the hurt was evident in her eyes. It shouldn't have killed me, but it did. Subconsciously I put my own hand to my chest, somehow not surprised to feel no sign of true life pumping beneath my skin.

The other man produced a torch, roaming the circumference of the room and completely disregarding the woman and I's interactions. She pushed a stray hair from her face, and I noticed the inside of her arm. It shone a light purple, definitely strange. I took a step toward her, grabbing her wrist and yanking her toward me, my movements desperate and urgent. She gasped as she stumbled forward, but didn't resist, allowing me to compare our forearms. As I had suspected, there were ticking numbers on the soft white flesh. Both our times were the exact same, ticking one number at the exact same time, the only difference being hers was purple and mine shone a mint green.

0:03:24

"Do all humans have this?" I asked.

She reclaimed her arm, rubbing the place where I had grabbed her. "No. Just us."

"Why?"

"It's a timer," she said slowly. I could see the gears in her mind turning, choosing her words carefully. "And we need to do something before it reaches zero."

"Do something?" I was confused. If she and I were the only two people with the 'timer,' did that mean we were related? "Who are you anyway? I'm not doing anything with a stranger, much less a woman!"

She didn't appear to be phased by my rising tone and snapping words. Maybe she knew what it was like to have strangers demand the impossible of her. "Zoro," she murmured, stepping forward and putting her hands on my shoulders. I moved to pick them away, but two more arms suddenly grew from my back and pinned my arms by my sides.

"HOLY SHIT!" I yelled, struggling against their vice-like grip. "WHAT THE –?"

"Your name is Roronoa Zoro," she interrupted, forcing our eyes to meet. Her voice was soft and gentle, yet controlling. I shut my mouth and tried not to look at the disembodied limbs. With every ensuing word, she stepped forward, forcing me to take a step back."You're a Santoryuu swordsman and first mate for the Straw Hat Pirates, captained by Monkey D. Luffy. You have a bounty of 120,000,000 belis and dream of defeating Hawk-eye Dracule Mihawk and becoming the greatest swordsman in the world."

Damn. At first I figured this badass guy couldn't possibly be me, locked up in this godforsaken cavern. But I couldn't tear my gaze from hers. I detected no falsity in those captivating orbs of hers.

Water sloshed around my feet as I was forced into the stream, the chilling liquid swirling around my ankles. The woman followed, not seeming to notice of drops of water splashed on her sheet. For the briefest moment, her eyes were cast down to the water, as if confirming something. I opened my mouth to tell her to go away, but she wasn't done, raising her azure eyes once again to meet mine.

"My name is Nico Robin," she continued, moving her hands from my shoulders to the back of my neck. "I'm an archaeologist of the Straw Hat Pirates. We are nakama. I have an 80,000,000 beli bounty and am constantly hunted by the World Government. I dream of locating the Rio Poneglyph and learning the True History."

"That's… pretty ambitious," I muttered.

She smiled, obviously amused with my comment. "Speak for yourself."

"Oi, Robin," Adonis said from somewhere in the darkness. "You have thirty seconds until sunrise and your timer runs out!"

The woman, Robin, didn't hesitate. She shoved me backward, tripping on a loose stone and sending me splashing into the water. It soaked through my clothes and hair instantly, sending goose bumps across my skin. I tried to sit up, but two more disembodied limbs kept me down. It only increased my struggles; those things were scaring the shit out of me!

"Twenty seconds!"

She straddled me, her knees on either side of my waist as she leaned down over me, the ends of her hair tickling my nose. Our chests pressed together, but I made no move to eject Robin from above me. The limbs vanished in a puff of petals, the brief scent of lilacs disappearing with the current.

"Fifteen seconds."

"What are you doing?" I demanded of her, but the harshness of my tone didn't seem as threatening as I wanted them to be. Rather, it seemed more questioning and curious, and, to my horror, a bit lustful.

She held a finger to my lips, the universal sign to be silent. "Just relax," she whispered. "And hope this works."

"What works?"

"Five seconds! Four… three…"

"No more questions," she whispered, small tears leaking from her eyes. Was she sad? It was impossible to tell; her expression was unreadable, like trying to read a book only by looking at the front cover. There was a basic idea, but the reader would have no idea of the structure or the author's style, no picture of the characters or plot or setting.

"Two seconds! One…"

Her face came right up close to mine, our lips lightly touching in a sweet butterfly kiss, sending tingles down my back not influenced by the water, which for some reason was glowing a soft sea-green. I figured after the blooming limbs, nothing could freak me out anymore, but the glow was a little creepy. Her eyes were closed, her warm breath on my face. I felt my own eyes drooping closed, raising my head up from the water to meet her…

"Zero!"

**X x X**

"_Don't talk like that after you beat me!"_

_Tears stained her cheeks, shining in the glinting light of unsheathed katana. "Zoro," she whispered, her deep blue eyes finding the irate ten-year-old boy she had just defeated for the two thousandth and first time._

"_That's despicable! You've been my goal the whole time! Whether you're a man or a woman, is that what you're gonna say when I finally defeat you!? As if it wasn't because of my skills. It makes me, who's been training all this time, this hard, look like a fool! Don't talk like that!" She blinked at him in surprise. He took a step toward her, eyes glaring. "Promise me that one day, one of us will be the world's greatest swordsman!"_

_There was a fire burning in his eyes, a fire that spoke of the depth and meaning behind his words. His sweaty green hair stuck to his forehead but the young swordsman didn't appear to notice or even care. His onyx oculars were locked on her as he raised his hand, fingers extended and awaiting her._

_She couldn't stop the tears, but his words buried themselves deep within her heart. She smiled. "Stupid, saying that when you're weak…" She took his calloused hand in her own, their pact witnessed by the light of the full moon. "It's a promise!_

**X x X**

My mind was ablaze with thoughts and images that made absolute no sense. Maybe it was the familiarity of the girl in my vision. Kuina. I remembered her name. I remembered the taste of tears after learning of her death, the firm grip of the Wado Ichimonji in my young hands for the first time. The hands of the man who would one day become the world's greatest swordsman.

Or maybe it was Robin's soft lips on mine that fueled these emotions. Her lips tasted of cherries, faint, like she hadn't applied recently. She respectfully kept her tongue in her own mouth, and I was too stunned to do anything but lay there and return the kiss hesitantly as more of what I knew were memories flooded my mind.

**X x X**

"_Luffy-san is completely serious! He's going to become the Pirate King and find the ultimate treasure, the One Piece!"_

_He looked at the pink haired youth incredulously, not quite believing his words. This scrawny punk would become the Pirate King? Pft, yeah right. The toughest pirates in the world were after that title, and none of them would go down without a fight. How could this childish and lanky boy possibly rank among those legends?_

"_Well, take them then!" The skinny raven-haired teen extended the three swords towards him, the brightest of smiles on his face. "But if we fight together, you'll owe me." His tone turned mischievous, like he already knew what the other man would say. "Being killed by Marines or coming with me… which one do you pick?"_

"_You're the son of the devil," The bound man couldn't help but laugh, despite the lack of energy in his limbs. Anyone he had just met would be put off by his apparent dim-witted personality at first glance, but with a deeper conversation with the guy, he was actually cunning when it came to getting what he wanted. "Fine! I'd rather be a pirate than die here!"_

"_Great! You'll be my first nakama!" The younger teen shouted triumphantly, his grin possibly even brighter than before._

"_Great, now quit celebrating and get these ropes off!"_

_**Luffy.**__  
_

_-.-_

"_Oi, wake up, we're leaving!"_

_He flinched beneath his captain's slapping of his head, slowing sitting up and holding his head to cease the spinning of his vision. He was still suffering from blood loss due to that damn acrobat's pathetic attacks. "Did we finish everything?"_

"_Yeah, and we got ourselves a navigator called Nami, and we even got a chart of the Grand Line!" Luffy said like he'd already conquered the most dangerous sea in the world._

_He glared at the girl who had just assumed the position of navigator over his shoulder, standing there like she had just witnessed a ghost. Cabaji lay several feet behind her, the wound on his chest bleeding profusely. In her hand was a rope that held several squirming body parts together, but she appeared to have forgotten about them. She watched her two new crewmates with mixed emotions. He didn't have long to observe her, however, because he was suddenly overcome with lightheadedness._

"_I'm not sure about this; I don't feel so good."_

"_Of course you wouldn't, not after losing that much blood!" she screeched._

_His head throbbed._

_**Nami**__._

_-.-_

"_I'll see you again someday!"_

_Luffy leaned over the railing, his eyebrows raised confusedly. "Why?"_

"_Why?" the long-nosed teen echoed, just as confused. "You're really slow, aren't you? I'll be a pirate just like you, so we might meet or the sea one day!"_

_He crossed his arms, pointing at the deck with his usual tense expression. "What're you talking about?" he asked, smirking at the younger man's face. "Hurry up and get on!"_

"_Huh?"_

"_We're already nakama," Luffy elaborated simply like it was the most obvious thing in the world._

_The next minute consisted of a staring contest between the three men, with Nami and the blonde princess looking happily on, until realization of his and Luffy's words finally registered._

"_I'm the captain!" he yelled, fist-pumping the air._

"_Don't be stupid, Usopp, I'm the captain!"_

_**Usopp**__._

_-.-_

"_Santoryuu oui… Sanzen Sekai!"_

_Time froze as the two swordsmen clashed, the ring of steel on steel screeching in the audience's ears. The older man's cloak billowed out behind him, his black blade raised and dripping with the blood of his opponent, who stood behind him with his back facing toward him, still holding the finishing stance of his final move._

_A stab of pain flashed across his chest as a new wound spurted blood, staining his already ruined shirt. The weight in his hands suddenly vanished as the two katana shattered, the shards clicking against the wooded deck. The sudden loss overbalanced him and he swayed like a drunkard, catching himself before he could topple in defeat. With a shaking hand, he removed the white sword Wado Ichimonji from his mouth and sheathed it under the hawk-like gaze of his opponent beneath the wide brim of his hat._

_The expression he bore was of acceptance, of his defeat and most likely his impending death, though it was masked by an unreadable emotion that could possibly be defined as disappointment, as if he had let down an old friend. He rose firmly, facing the champion of their duel. The man's eyes widened as the defeated swordsman raised his arms, exposing his bleeding chest._

"_What now?" the Schishibukai queried, his black blade still raised._

_He smiled through the pain, his eyes alight with a fire akin to that of hell. "Attacks from behind are a swordsman's shame," he said wisely._

_The other chuckled and shifted his stance, understanding the younger man's implied desire. "Well said." In one fluid motion, the black blade flashed once again through the air, the horrible sound of ripping flesh accompanying it, followed by a violent spray of blood._

"_ZORO!" a voice screamed._

_The swordsman fell backward in what felt like slow motion, his katana falling from his limp hands as red liquid poured in torrents from his wound and mouth, staining his chin. The anguished screams of the onlookers ceased to exist, except for one, a newer voice he hadn't quite gotten to know completely yet._

"_It's simple! Abandon your ambitions and live!"_

_Tch. What right did a second-rate cook have to give him advice when he was about to die? The water closed over his head and body as he plunged into the ocean, the salt making his wound burn even more._

_It wasn't long until he came to, finding himself floating on a small sailboat with Johnny, Yosaku, and Usopp's worried voices mumbling in desperation. He regained enough consciousness to hear the master swordsman yell: "It's still too early for you to die. My name is Dracule Mihawk! Find your true self, true world, become stronger! No matter how long it will take, I will wait you in my strongest form! Surpass this sword, surpass me, Roronoa Zoro!"_

_**Mihawk**__._

_-.-_

"_Ah~! Her cool look is still so charming!" The newest addition to the crew exploded into an inferno of hearts and flailing limbs. "Hey, Nami-swan! It's me, it's me, remember me!? Let's go on a cruise together, just you and me!"_

"_You just stay out of his!" he growled, a tick mark appearing on his forehead."You'll only complicate things!"_

"_What did you say?" The cook returned, suddenly all calm and collected, but infused with the burning passion of affection and anger. "My love is always a hurricane!"_

_He ignored curly brow and turned his attention to Nami ("Hey, listen to me when I'm talking to you!") who was standing a few yards away with her hip cocked casually and her eyes glaring coldly toward them, her body language clearly telling them to get the hell of her island. "Where's Usopp?" he demanded of their former navigator._

"_Swimming with the fishes," she responded immediately without any sign of remorse for what she had done._

"_Why you!" He reached for his katana, all his frustration exploding at once as he ran at her. "Quit your bullshit!"_

_There was a flash of yellow and black in the corner of his vision, and he skidded to a halt and, ignoring the screaming in his chest, bent over backwards to avoid having the imprint of a boot on his face. He drew his sword in retaliation, the sharp tip aimed straight for the cook, who had just lit a fresh cigarette._

"_Do swordsmen attack women, too? Roronoa Zoro?"_

"_What's that?" said swordsman growled. "You don't even know what's going on, so don't interfere!"_

"_Ha," the irritating blonde chuckled. "After an emotional loss, of course you'd be irritable."_

"_Eh!?" He put his face right up close to his newest adversary, trying not to choke on the cigarette smoke. "Oi. You'd better watch what you say."_

"_Mind your own business!"_

"_Oi!" Yosaku intervened, trying to step between the feuding men, and ultimately failing. "Sanji-aniki, Zoro-aniki, don't be bickering at a time like this!"_

_He didn't back down, waiting for the other man to give in, and vice versa. This was the start of a rocky relationship, his instincts were telling him. The swordsman figured he might have to just kill this hot-headed bastard off someday._

_**Sanji**__._

_-.-_

"_Oi, reindeer!" Luffy yelled at the top of his lungs for the umpteenth time, his voice echoing off the tall mountains. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!"_

_He face-palmed at his captain's ignorance. If the tanuki wanted to come, then he would decide that for himself. There was no need to pressure the guy into joining, like he had been, and from experience, it wasn't the best thing in the world. As if to prove his point, the sound of crunching snow accompanied the appearance of the Zoan user, just as Vivi and Nami dragged an unconscious love-sick moron from inside the frozen castle._

"_Chopper?" Nami questioned the little doctor's sudden appearance._

"_Oi!" He had drawn Luffy's undivided attention. "Let's be pirates together!"_

"_I can't."_

"_Sure you can!" Luffy argued excitedly. "It's really fun!"_

"_I mean…" The creature hesitated, his tiny hooves shaking with either nerves or fear he couldn't tell. "I mean I'm a reindeer! With antlers and hooves and…" he winced. "And a blue nose!" There was silence as he tried to compose himself. "I want to be a pirate, but I can't be nakama with humans after all! I'm a monster! Someone like me just can't be your nakama!" His voice had risen until he was yelling at the Straw Hat Pirates, who took in his words without interruptions. As his rant drew to a close, his tone softened. "So… I'm here. I'm here to say thanks. Thanks for the invitation."_

_Luffy's mouth had formed a flustered frown as he absorbed the reindeer's monologue. Nami watched him sadly, as if lost in thought._

"_I'll stay here, but…" he continued, his breath coming out in small gasps as he exhaled due to the frigid weather. "If you ever feel like it, come back someday and –"_

"_SHUT UP!" Luffy suddenly yelled, fist pumping the air with such force a strong wind was able to blow his straw hat from his head. Luckily Usopp was able to catch it. "LET'S GO!"_

_Tears began to well up in the young doctor's eyes. Nami couldn't help but giggle as Luffy somehow managed to once again get his way in the most unreasonable fashion. Usopp chuckled professionally like it was all his idea (which of course, it wasn't). Sanji was still unconscious._

"_Since when has 'shut up' been an invitation?" a swordsman muttered with a slight smile._

_**Chopper**__._

_-.-_

"_Ah! You Neanderthal!"_

"_Blockhead!"_

"_Marimo!"_

"_Santoryuu."_

"_Oi, Luffy. 'Santoryuu' isn't an insult."_

"_Yontoryuu."_

"_No, you only added one!"_

_He sighed, exasperated with his crew, running a hand through his rough green hair. It had only been a couple of hours since they'd said their goodbyes to Alabasta and its princess, and his nakama were already crying all over themselves like babies. He turned away from them with a yawn, deciding he needed to sleep off his frustrations._

"_So we finally got away from the island."_

"_Yeah."_

"_Excellent work."_

_Mass panic ensued, involving a bull horn, drawn swords, the clank of a climatact, wild running and screaming, and many bruised heads. It was to be expected. After all, the co-president of Baroque Works was on their ship. She didn't appear phased at all by their hasty recovery, rather she appeared to enjoy it._

_He didn't let his guard down, not even when she reclined lazily in that lawn chair as Usopp began conducting his interview. He sat with his back pressed against the mast, his eyes shaded as he quietly absorbed the words of their resident sharpshooter and stowaway._

"_Pay attention!" Usopp demanded. She looked over from where she had been amusing Chopper and Luffy with one of her arms. "I want straight up and honest answers! What's your name?"_

"_Nico Robin," she answered simply._

"_What's your occupation?"_

"_Archaeologist."_

"_Are you serious?"_

_She told her story, of her bounty at only eight years old, working for rogues and the like. He wasn't moved by her silly sob story. It was only a way to loosen them up and prepare them for the fatal blow. Usopp's tone betrayed him as vaguely curious about her experiences, but still cautious of the newest addition to the crew._

"_What's your specialty?"_

_Usopp was clearly referring to crew positions, like lookout or shipwright. Instead, the woman rested her chin in the palm of her hand, her expression blank save for the mischievous smile that curled her lips. With the most plain and toneless voice he had ever heard, she replied, "Assassination."_

"_LUFFY!" Usopp sobbed, falling back in his chair. "The interview has concluded this woman is too dangerous to be on this crew!"_

_Luffy was too busy being tickled by disembodied limbs to hear his sharpshooter. He tuned out of most of what went on next, from Nami's seduction by Crocodiles jewels and Sanji's flirtatious monologues. He talked with Usopp briefly before the sniper, too, fell victim to the woman's charms, laughing right alongside Luffy and Chopper. He sucked on his teeth in annoyance and quit the place of noise, settling for the front deck of the ship. He leaned against the railing and watched the water swirl around the Merry's hull as it cut cleanly through the ocean._

"_This ship has charm," said a voice, and he glared at the raven-haired woman from the corner of his eye as she ascended the steps toward him. She did not meet his eyes as she took a few extra steps away from him. This body language said she wasn't quite done with him yet, but would wait until he accepted her himself. "Is it always this lively?"_

"_Yeah. It usually is," he heard himself respond._

"_Really?" she smiled, and for the briefest second, he was struck with an overwhelming sense of grace. The way she walked away from him and sat on the opposite rail near the ram figure head, the flow of her ebony hair as it was blown by a gentle sea breeze… it was almost as if she were casting a spell on him, forcing him to admire that natural grace._

_He unsheathed a katana and sliced his thumb with it, the small stab of pain jerking him from the apparent trance. _This woman_, he mentally growled, jutting out his bottom lip in thought. _Just what is she plotting?

**x X x**

She pulled away briefly for a breath, the ends of her hair wet from where they had fallen into the water around me. Her eyes were bright and beautiful, the corners lifted from the wide grin on her countenance. "Zoro," she said, tasting my name on her tongue.

"What?" I somehow managed to sputter through the current occasionally running over my face.

"I think you can sit up now."

I did so, propping myself up on my elbows so my head was at least out of the water. I looked down at my body to discover what this sudden sensation of… of…. Of what? What was it? I wanted to say _purity, _but that wasn't it. It was like starving for days, and then finally tasting your favorite meal, having the glorious feeling of it filling you up, energy rushing through your veins and feeling… _alive again._ The glow had moved from my arm all the way across my shoulder and through my torso, the hazy line of it visible just beneath the water surface, running just over my waist.

"Robin…." I said, lifting my head to look at her again. "Your name is Robin."

Confusion and light curiosity flickered across her features, quickly oppressed by absolute relief. "And?"

"I'm Zoro." I raised a hand in front of my face, examining each patch of rough skin on my palms. "I was raised in a dojo… Kuina and I's promise before she died… Luffy, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Mihawk…"

"You remember us?" her voice was so full of excitement. I looked up at her again, her cerulean orbs meeting mine.

"There's still more, isn't there?" I said, sitting up completely. "More to know…more to remember."

I didn't completely understand what was happening. The glow on my body still freaked me out a little, but at least I had memories now, memories that identified me, made me who I was. Kuina! Our promise, how could I let myself forget! Never again would I let the reason for all my hard work be taken away by mere amnesia! Speaking of…

"How much more do you need?" Robin whispered.

I looked at her again, marveling on how the glow shone on her ebony hair, making it shine. I bet it's soft. I raised a hand and ran it through those velvet tresses, loving the cool feel of the strands running through my fingers. She sighed with pleasure and leaned into it, not closing her eyes for a moment.

"I have no idea, but I'll tell you one thing: the more I know depends on how long we do this."

I pulled her toward me, crashing my lips onto hers. Instantly, the images flooded into my memory again.

**x X x**

_"Good thing we got away from the marines," she said, opening the door and stepping into the sunlight._

_"Yeah," the swordsman said, rubbing the back of his neck lazily._

_She smiled. "Excellent work."_

_The scene was almost an exact replica of her first introduction to the pirates, minus the princess, of course. Mass panic quickly ensued. The swordsman was pulling out his sword again. The orange-haired navigator held a strange blue tube instead of her staff, but the concept was the same. The blond man who had defeated Mr. Two was staring at her again in a way she didn't quite find all that attractive. The long-nosed man was speaking through a megaphone, alerting the other crewmembers of what they already knew. The one person, well creature, she didn't recognize from their first encounter was a tiny little reindeer/raccoon-dog creature running back and forth across the deck, holding his hooves to the side of his head, screaming. Only the captain stood completely calm, staring at her as if trying to remember where he'd seen her before._

_She could see the swordsman from the corner of her eye as she set up a deck chair near the rear of the ship. He watched her, his eyes squinted nearly shut. His arms were crossed in a way that told her he wasn't going to take his eyes off her for a moment, just in case if she decided to pull something. All the better reason to, maybe, show off just a little bit._

_When she declared her desire to become the seventh member of the Straw Hat crew, the faces of all but the swordsman were most entertaining. The others' jaws hit the deck in a mixture of surprise, awe, and in the blonde's case, love. However, the green-haired man maintained his suspicious stance, setting himself apart from the rest of the group. Maybe he wasn't quite so stupid after all._

_She told the tale of the events below the castle in Alubarna, where the poneglyph was hidden. The crew listened quietly, even Luffy, for he had been unconscious near the end of it. He immediately allowed her to join after she told him of her predicament, having no place to return to. And, once again, his other members gave him grief about it. Even the swordsman showed emotion now, his grip tightening on his crossed arms. That made her slightly sad. A good sob story like her own, even if it wasn't the whole story, was enough to usually get anyone feeling sorry for her. These guys were tough. Good thing she had brought along some... persuasive ideals._

_It didn't take long before the crew had placated and the long-nosed man was settling down for an interview. She put on a cheerful face and answered his questions truthfully._

_"Pay attention!" the long-nosed man demanded. She looked over from where she had been amusing the reindeer and captain with one of her arms. "I want some straight up and honest answers! What's your name? My name's Usopp. Hello."_

_She answered his question simply. "Nico Robin."_

_"What's your occupation?"_

_"Archaeologist."_

_The sniper seemed interested. "Are you serious?"_

_"Archaeology runs in my veins. I come from a long line of them." She cast a quick sideways glance toward the swordsman to check for any reaction. None so far, as much as she could see. However, he did seem a bit... perplexed with his crew member's methods of interrogation. Still, his gaze did not waver._

_She told her story, of her bounty at only eight years old. Working for rogues, and the like. The sniper and his company listened intently, seemingly surprised at her troubled childhood. Sob story number two. Only the navigator and swordsman were left to woo. Their expressions practically screamed at her,__I don't trust you._

_"What's your specialty?" the sniper asked._

_She leaned her chin in her hand. "Assassination." she said simply, a straight face on her elegant face. Play the tough-girl card. She wasn't exactly sure how the crew operated, but it was good to put it out there while she had the chance. She had taken lives before, mostly under the orders of Mister Zero or other various rogues. It didn't mean she liked doing it._

_The sniper panicked humorously, falling back in his chair. "I have determined this woman is far too dangerous to have in this crew!"_

_The navigator kicked the side of the ship, her eyes hard as steel. "Seriously. I'm disappointed; you two are pathetic. She was the vice-president of a crime syndicate until today. And you really think someone like that should join us?" The sniper began to clap his hands, glad he had found a supporter. "You may have fooled these idiots," the woman continued, staring her in the eye. "But I'm not convinced."_

_She smiled up at the orange-haired navigator. "Alright. I'll keep that in mind." It was time for the trump card of persuasion. "Oh, I just remembered. I took some of Crocodile's gold with me."_

_The navigator was at her side in an instant, he eyes twinkling at the thought of treasure, or anything shiny for that matter. "Oh wow, sister, you're the best!" she squealed._

_"Here we go," the sniper and swordsman said in unison. The two moved away to speak privately for a moment. She grew an ear to the back of the sniper, listening on the conversation._

_"Nami's been had," the sniper muttered. Note to self: the navigator is Nami._

_"This chick's bad news," the swordsman agreed._

_The blond man with the strange eyebrow suddenly swooned over her, releasing a ballad from his lips like honey. It was a sweet sentiment, and she was impressed by the true emotion he put into it. He set a cup of steaming tea in front of her. He was the cook. Sanji was his name, if memory served. Judging from his actions so far and her encounters with him before, he was a woman-loving gentleman, and wouldn't need any persuading of her trustworthiness._

_"Look at him," the swordsman growled. "Falling all over himself."_

_"Well," the sniper agreed. "He was a lost cause from the get go."_

_"Looks like you and I are the only holdouts on this ship of insanity," the swordsman said, his voice lowering._

_"We shouldn't blame the others. Their simple minds can't resist her charms."_

_She couldn't agree more._

_The captain called out the long-nosed man's name, showing him his imitation of the reindeer, whose name she learned was Chopper. The sniper soon fell into hysterics, laughing alongside his friends. Five down. One to go. She watched as the green-haired swordsman rolled his eyes and moved away from the rest of the crew, walking up the stairs to the bow of the ship. She had yet to win him over, in more ways than one._

_She stood up and followed him to the deck, leaving the cook sighing to himself on the floor._

_He was leaned against the railing, staring out over the horizon. The sea wind blew stray hairs of green gently about his face, a look in his eyes hazy as if he were deep in thought. The sound of her shoes on the stairs drew his attention, and he watched her suspiciously as she stood close, but not so close as to make him uncomfortable._

_"This ship has charm. Is it always this lively?" she asked, turning to face him._

_He stared back at her. There was something in his charcoal orbs that spoke to her. His guard was still up, but he wasn't on the offensive anymore. He couldn't change his captain's decision any more than she could, and he was accepting that. "Yeah." he said. "Usually is."_

_She smiled, content with his answer, and turned to face the oncoming horizon. It looked like she had found an interesting group of pirates._

**x X x**

"What was that!?" I murmured, breaking our contact with a confused stare.

She looked at my quizzically. "What was what?"

I stared at the raven-haired beauty, searching her face for anything I could use to make sense of what had just went through my head. "It was… you…" I managed. "Your side… your memory…"

She seemed just as intrigued. "Well perhaps," she philosophized. "A door once opened can be stepped through in either direction."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I muttered, scratching my head.

"It means that I've been watching the memories flood back into your mind," she admitted slowly, blushing slightly. "So that's how you got caught up in the Straw Hats. And I never would have thought you actually have faced Mihawk before."

Irritation built up inside me. "That's all private!" I said. "Not a word! And –!"

"Be quiet," she sighed, and connected our lips once again.

**x X x**

"_You need not worry!" the false god laughed, his abnormally lengthy earlobes jiggling as he threw his head back, his smile full of malcontent. "I've already accounted for the Golden Bell! When I think back on your movements, there is only one place it could be."_

_The raven-haired woman's eyes widened, a sudden wind blowing strands of hair over her elegant countenance. He glanced over at her from where he stood beside her, wondering what on earth could be going on inside that mysterious woman's head. Whatever it was, it certainly had her riled up; he hadn't seen that look in her eyes before. What the hell was this Golden Bell, anyway?_

"_I suspect that it is in the same place you deduced," Enel continued, his eyes roving up the massive stalk of Giant Jack. "How unexpected. Did you think that you could take advantage of me with that information?"_

_Robin's eyes were cast down as if she were ashamed. But he detected no such emotion on her features; as usual, her thoughts and feelings were surrounded by a black veil of mystery._

"_How injudicious of you." the supposed god said, raising his hand with his index finger extended. "I hate manipulative women, when they butt their noses in where they don't belong."_

_A silent scream was shared among them, the angry Shandorian warrior, the cowering navigator cradling an unconscious doctor, the swordsman turning in what felt like slow motion, his eyes for the briefest of seconds meeting those of the raven-haired woman a few feet from him. Crackling electricity danced across Enel's entire body, the air around him hissing. The light was blinding, reflecting in his onyx orbs._

_The single bolt of lightning harboring twenty thousand volts of electricity fried the air, cut off only by the scream of pain ripping itself from Robin's throat. Her skin turned black as burnt charcoal, the whites of her eyes clearly visible as the bolt was sent straight through her forehead and protruding out the other side, her brain taking the direct hit. The lightning vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving the archaeologist falling backward limply._

_His body moved on its own. An incurable rage boiled up inside him, the fire in his eyes increasing its power to that of a raging inferno as adrenaline suddenly pumped into his veins. He fanned his swords out to either side, slicing even the air itself. Somehow managing somehow to not slice the falling body, he swept his arm beneath her, Robin's wounded form nestling perfectly in the crook of his elbow. Her head fell back limply as she lost consciousness, a light wind from the shockwave ruffling her hair and blowing her darkened hat further away from its owner._

_He gently lowered her to the ground, taking a brief second to position her comfortably before the fury boiled inside him again, and he faced the false god with such an intense look, even Enel's eyes widened a fraction of a degree. "She's a woman," the swordsman said harshly._

_Enel appeared to overcome his initial surprise, his lips pulling back into a sinister smirk. "I can tell," he said._

_He snapped. The green-haired man sprang to his feet, his two katana screaming for vengeance. He ran at the long-eared man, the blades positioned parallel to one another in preparation for his attack. Enel readied his staff, situating it just in time to block his first strike, deflecting the blade to the right. But he was strong, and held his stance, the steel blade screeching as it clung to the golden pole._

"_You possess talent," Enel said, his tone amused._

"_And you're completely insane!" he countered, bringing his other blade around to decapitate his opponent. Enel gracefully dodged the attack, lifting himself up into the air and over the Wado's thirsty blade. He heard the light click of a bazooka in firing formation, and he attempted to scramble away from the oncoming attack._

"_Burn Bazooka!"_

_The light that followed blinded him, and he looked away to protect his eyes. When he finally felt like it was safe to look, he returned his attention to the battle, only to find Enel had wrapped his electric hands around each of his two blades, rendering them useless. His muscle strained as they tried to pull free._

"_Having every sliver of hope dashed is the same as dying!" the false god philosophized, his eyes glowing white with the electricity pumping through his veins. The white spread across his steel swords, traveling through the hilt and up his arms._

_The electricity passed through him, frying his nerves and causing the powerful swordsman to scream out in pain. No words could describe the way his body felt at that very moment. But at one moment of clarity, all he could think was_, I'm sorry, Robin. I couldn't do anything.

-.-

"_I don't have anything against her," the marine admiral stated. "The only reason I know her is because she escaped from me once. But that was a long time ago." His gaze moved from one Straw Hat pirate to the next, looking them over with a critical eye. "You'll learn soon enough that protecting that woman leads to regret. And if you doubt me, know this: that every organization Nico Robin has joined until now has been annihilated." Aokiji stood as he spoke the last few words, his piercing eyes on the Devil's Child. "Not one member escaped, except her. And why is that, Nico Robin?"_

_Robin recoiled at his statements, the tremors in her azure orbs clearly reflecting her fear and discomfort with his words. He couldn't help but wonder, as he watched her, how easily this man affected her. This woman, who stayed completely calm when faced with an entire army, whose eyes would light up with joy if they came across ruins on any islands they came across. What dark shadows haunted her past, terrifying enough for her to cringe even at the mere sight of one man?_

"_Stop it!" Luffy yelled, obviously picking up on Robin's discomfort as well. "The past has nothing to do with us!"_

"_That's right!" Usopp added, his knees trembling despite his brave face. "If it did, then we wouldn't have a former pirate hunter or this ex-thief woman on our crew!"_

"_Watch it, bub," Nami threatened, her warning followed by a rough glare from said former pirate hunter._

"_Today is more important than the past," Sanji added coolly. _

"_Robin is one of our nakama!" Chopper insisted. "Don't talk bad about her!"_

_He glanced at the archaeologist again, fingering the hilt of Yubashiri. She was clearly conflicted with her crewmates' words, her lips curved in a deep frown but her eyes were strong, even through the desperation picking at that wall. Her body began to shake._

"_I see," said Aokiji thoughtfully. "The poor fools don't suspect a thing."_

_Robin finally snapped, crossing her arms in front of her chest. He recognized that stance as the one she assumed when she was about to use her Devil Fruit abilities. Her pupils shrank in her anger and fear, eyebrows furrowed. "What do you want with me!?" she cried. "If you want to arrest me, then why not just do it!? Treinta Fleur!"_

_Thirty of her disembodied arms bloomed from the ground, wrapping themselves around the Admiral's lanky form._

"_Robin, don't!" Usopp yelled._

"_My, my…" Aokiji mumbled through the hands wrapped around his chin and throat. "Did I say too much? What a shame. I must have overestimated how reasonable a woman you were."_

"_Clutch."_

_His body bent into a bone-breaking backbend, his midsection turning into ice and travelling through his entire form just as the attack was completed. The hands dissipated, leaving behind nothing but a pile of jagged ice._

"_AHHHHH!" Chopper squealed in fright. "He disintegrated and died!"_

_Collected gasps were shared among the pirates, their eyes bugging from their heads as the marine began to reform right in front of them. First his head and shoulders were reconstructed into an ice sculpture, followed soon by his torso and arms and finally his legs._

"_No…" Usopp whispered. "It didn't work! OI! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"_

_No one moved._

"_Well, that was a downright mean thing to do," Aokiji muttered, his newly constructed body finally reforming directly in front of Robin, who had maintained her stance throughout his rebirth. The woman didn't appear to be surprised at his regeneration; rather, she seemed to have been expecting it._

_Aokiji knelt and grabbed a handful of grass stalks between his feet. Throwing them into the air, he quickly let out a cold breath. The green blades instantly froze with the water in the air, forming in a split second a shining broadsword made of solid ice. The admiral wielded his weapon, displaying it to the pirates with the words, "Ice Sabre._

"_I wasn't planning on killing you, but…"_

_The ice sword began to descent rapidly towards Robin, who only had time to cross her arms in preparation for an attack before it would end her days. She closed her eyes, waiting for the blow that would remove all her pain, take her from this world. He didn't know what to do at that very moment, watching the blade as if in slow motion._

_His gut told him to let the woman die. He hadn't wanted her to join in the first place. But he had grown on her the past few weeks they had been together, much to his own disappointment. Whether it had been a part of her plan or not, he had no idea, but if it had been, then she was a damn good strategist. Besides, he couldn't let someone die, not when he had the ability to stop it._

_The Wado Ichimonji, Kuina's sword, unsheathed itself, its hilt nestling in the familiar palm of his hand. His legs kicked into action, bringing his body forward just in time to leap directly in the path of the ice sabre. He raised his katana, his muscles jarring as the impact raced through his arms, the screech of ice on steel ringing in his ears. He glared up at the marine admiral, who met his eyes calmly, his features unreadable._

_He would protect this person. His loyalty told him that. But something deep down inside him told him it wasn't just his loyalty that forced him to not let harm come to Nico Robin. It had been many, many years since he had last felt that pull in his chest, that desire and that overwhelming instinct to protect. No, not since Kuina passed away had that feeling crossed his mind. And it felt… good._

_-.-_

"_I wasn't planning on killing you, but…"_

_She raised her hands in her traditional cross over her chest, preparing for a counterattack, but only too late did it cross her mind that she had no time to bloom her limbs and deflect his massive ice sabre. But she wouldn't go down without a fight. She closed her eyes, half to concentrate, and the rest not to see the blow that would befall her. She waited._

_Instead of intense pain, she only heard the sound of metal clashing against frozen ice, and there was really only one person who used steel. She opened her eyes, finding the swordsman standing before her, one of his katana blocking the Admiral's strike. The green-haired man stared up at the marine. His back was to her, so she couldn't see the expression in his eyes, but she could tell by the tension in his shoulder blades he was livid._

_His lead was followed soon by Cook-san, who quickly disarmed the marine with a cry of "Straight shoot!"_

"_Yosh!" Nagahana-kun cried triumphantly._

"_Don't hog all the good shots, you shitty cook," Kenshi-san growled at Cook-san above him._

"_You're one to talk, you natural treasure." The blonde returned._

_Treasure, indeed._

_Senchou-san delivered a mighty punch to the stomach. She knew it wouldn't work. His Ice Ice power was too strong. She had witnessed it firsthand, freezing Saul right in front of her. The vision of her giant friend slowly transforming into an ice statue still haunted her at night._

_She watched in horror as the cook's knee, captain's hand, and swordsman's shoulder were all frozen solid. "He hit all three of them at once!" Miss Navigator's voice shook with fear and worry for her nakama. Nagahana-kun and Doctor-san all screamed in fright as the swordsman, captain and cook writhed on the ground at Aokiji's feet, clutching at their frozen body parts, obviously in pain._

"_I have to treat them…" Doctor-san whispered. "If they get frostbite, their appendages will start to rot!" He whipped around to face the cowering sharpshooter. "What are you doing, Usopp!? Go and help them!"_

"_I want to…" Nagahana-kun responded, his voice shaking. "They need help! But for some reason, my legs aren't working…"_

"_You're too scared to move!"_

"_LUFFY!"_

"_SANJI! ZORO!"_

_It was all her fault. She only wanted to sink to the ground, curl up in a ball and simply die, to lay in that one spot for all eternity. She knew from the start her past would come back to haunt her, and at the time when she joined the crew, she didn't think much of it. Only now, after their grand adventures in the Sky Islands and Davy Back Fight and all the other did she finally realize that these people were not like the others. Sure, they didn't know any more about her past than she did theirs, but she still felt this deep connection to all of them. And now, because of her slip up, they would all be killed. It was her own fault._

"_Robin, run!" she heard Miss Navigator somewhere to her left. She couldn't move. Her fear and self-pain had rooted her to the spot, rendering her completely helpless._

"_You have some loyal nakama," Aokiji commented. "But you will never change, Nico Robin!"_

"_No!" She protested, pouring as much truth into her words as she could muster. "I'm not…!"_

_The image came back to her again as the Admiral embraced her._

"_Robin! Watch out! Get away from him!"_

"_ROBIN-CHAN!"_

_She could feel her joints seizing up, her blood turning solid in her veins. Her body temperature dropped dangerously low. This was what he must have felt, twenty years ago on the now nonexistent island of Ohara. The pain was terrifying. Her brain shut down as the cold slowly overcame her, and she knew no more._

_-.-_

"_WAIT!"_

_Luffy froze, his arms still stretched out in preparation to launch himself toward her. He looked up above to where she stood on the balcony, her hands clamped behind her back with sea prism stone. She forced herself to meet his gaze as best she could, the anger and sadness welling up inside her._

"_I've told you countless times," she said. "I won't come back to you anymore! Go back! I don't even want to see your faces anymore!" She internally cringed at the last sentence because she knew it was a downright lie. Still, she continued on. "Why did you come to rescue me!?" Images of the Straw Hat pirates filled her mind, each of them fighting their way up to her as she spoke. She imagined Kenshi-san whirling his blades in that elegant dance of his that she admired. Cook-san lit a fresh cigarette as he walked among the men he had just kicked down. Miss Navigator and Doctor-san teamed up to vanquish their common foe, and all for what? __It was a horrible, horrible fate they were submitting themselves to. Why couldn't they see that?__ "When did I ask you to save me!?" She yelled, her voice rising in tone and volume as her anger increased. Her emotions were roiling now as she vented her frustrations._

_Slowly, Senchou-san's fingers uncurled from their grip and his rubber arms snapped back into place. He was watching her incredulously, like he couldn't believe she was the same woman he had on his crew. Looking at that expression made her heart bleed, but she forced herself to go on._

"_I only want to die!"_

_As much as she loved being with the Straw Hats, she had spoken the truth. __She didn't need saving. She only wanted to die. That was her destiny. She was the devil's child, shunned all her life only for being a survivor of the infamous island, the inhabitants of which tried to research the forbidden history. It was a painful twenty years: hunted by the government, finding no place to live for fear of betrayal, scavenging for food._

"_You know Robin," Luffy said, flicking away the booger he had just excavated from his nostril. "We already came this far…"_

_As he spoke, the ceiling behind him erupted, and screams could be heard among the whirling wind. The stones broke, spread away from the three figures barely visible in the vortex. Finally the wind dissipated, and her eyes widened as the orange-haired navigator and burly doctor were revealed, the third person being an agent of Justice, who was tossed to the other side of the building and disappeared. Miss Navigator landed safely, her arms to either side for balance. Meanwhile, Mr. Doctor crashed behind her with a moan._

"_Anyway, we're going to save you," Luffy continued like the goings on behind him were normal, which, now that she thought about it, actually were. "And then, if you still want to die, you can do that after we've saved you."_

_Kenshi-san pulled himself up from the hole his crew mates had just flown from. Never in her dreams did she imagine that he would come as well. Didn't he despise her? True, he did save her in Skypeia, but that wasn't pre-meditated. Did this mean he finally accepted her? Miss Navigator comically rounded on him, blaming him for the whirlwind they had nearly perished from._

_A yell was followed by another explosion as Cook-san forced his way to the top, immediately picking a fight with his green-haired adversary. Immediately following was Nagahana-kun, flying up from behind the building. How in the world he managed that, she would never know. One by one, they appeared, one by one to save her_

"_Pi-pi-pirates, so many of them!" Spandam panicked, his eyes larger than golf balls._

_She watched in stunned silence. Her eyes met Kenshi-san's, who was looking up at her as he walked to help Cook-san and Doctor-san pull Nagahana-kun from the ground where he had landed. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking from the distance between them, but the fact that he was here at all was enough for her._

"_I'll request this from you, Robin!" Luffy yelled up to her. "Whether you want to die or not, I don't care about whatever you say! Say that kind of thing while you're by our sides!"_

_She inhaled sharply at his words. No one had ever said something like that to her._

"_That's right, Robin-chwan!" Cook-san agreed, fist-pumping the air._

"_Robin, come back!" The Doctor yelled._

_She could feel the tears welling up behind her eyes as they all stared up at her. __Nakama. Friends. Those who will protect her. They would stay with her, through all the hardships. They would protect her with their very lives. They didn't care of her past. They didn't care who she was, what the World Government labeled her as. To them, she was who she was, and they didn't care about anything else. She blinked the tears away._

"_Leave the rest to us!"_

_-.-_

"_Luffy!"_

"_Zoro, Sanji."_

"_We're in big trouble!" Sanji yelled._

"_Your grandpa came back, Luffy!" He yelled as well. "He's at the opposite coast making arrangements to attack and is looking for us!"_

"_EH!" Luffy was stunned. "WHY!? Didn't he decide not to capture us!?"_

"_How should we know!" Sanji responded as he and the swordsman reached the ship. "Hurry up and prepare to leave!" He paused briefly as the sprinting pirates passed the blue-haired shipwright where he sat among the ruins of forgotten ships. "Franky, you bastard! You're still not wearing your pants!?"_

_Luffy seemed to come to a decision, a smile on his lips. He stood on the railing and threw the speedos down toward their owner with a cry of, "Here you go!" They landed in his wide fingers as the blunette looked up at the Straw Hat captain, his eyebrows raised in confusion._

"_Well then, get on, Franky," Luffy insisted, crossing his arms confidently. "On my ship."_

"_Heh," the retro man chuckled, lowering his triangular sunglasses over his eyes. "Stop talking so cocky! The only repairs you amateurs are capable of are cheap ones! If there isn't a shipwright on this splendid ship, I would pity the ship. It can't be helped. I'll give you a hand! Your ship's shipwright will be the great Franky!"_

_The swordsman smiled, glad the blue-haired man had finally come to his senses and followed the dream he had carried since childhood._

"_Alright, a new nakama!" Luffy yelled triumphantly._

_Swinging his yellow duffel over his shoulder, the newest addition to the Straw Hat Pirates took the first step toward achieving his dream._

_**Franky.**_

_He came to in a small space, dark and stuffy. His arms were bound to his body by some sort of sticky filament. He could still feel his katana by his side which was of some comfort, but in this small space with his arms bound, there was little he could do for himself._

"_Hey!" he yelled. "Let me out of here! Isn't there anybody? Answer me, dammit!"_

_He writhed in his restraints, barely enough room to move. It was pitch dark, couldn't see anything. There was always a possibility of oxygen depletion if he remained like this for too long. He figured if he at least kept talking, someone would hear him eventually._

"_Where the hell am I?" He wondered aloud. "I can't see anything…"_

_Almost immediately, he heard heavy footsteps from somewhere outside his prison, approaching. _That was almost too fast_, he thought, his guard immediately doubling. There was a pause, and the lid to whatever he was contained it was suddenly lifted. The bright light blinded him for a moment, but soon his eyes adjusted to see the circle of coffins around the room, blocked by the enormous silhouette of a large-boned man, his face obscured by shadows._

"_What do you want!?" He demanded. The larger didn't reply, merely reaching down and wrapping his hand around him and pulled him from the coffin in which he had been imprisoned. "Let go of me! What are you doing!?"_

_The giant secured a white string to his bound body, suspending the swordsman from the ceiling. "You bastard! Who are you!" When he received no answer, he grew even more irritated. "Answer me!"_

_Someone turned on a light, casting his shadow far across the floor. "What's with this light?" He demanded answers from the larger man, whose lower body was now visible thanks to the illumination. "Oi, what's the meaning of this?" He struggled against the white substance wrapped around him._

_What occurred next rendered him speechless, only his mouth hanging open in complete shock, eyes bugging from his head. The flash of steel scissors in the spotlight, a horrible snapping sound and the sensation of falling, his body crumpling against something or someone else before his vision went dark and he knew nothing._

_-.-_

"_Fine. I'll let you have one head." He sat, slamming his hands on the destroyed remnants of the castle. "However! In exchange, please take my life for his! I ask this of you!" Surprise was evident on the Shichibukai's features. "My head may not be worth much at the moment, but this is the head of the man who will become the greatest swordsman in the world! Surely that should be enough!"_

"_Despite your great ambition," the bear man stated monotonically. "You wish to take that man's place and approach death?"_

"_Aside from that, I see no other way to save the crew. If you can't even protect your captain, then your ambition is worthless! Luffy is the man who will become the pirate king!"_

_The bear man took his time digesting his declaration. It was impossible to decipher what he was thinking, but he was too caught up in his state of furious confidence to worry about it. As long as he agreed. Please. The pain wreaking havoc on his body was plentiful, and to be free from that would be nice, but it was more than physical pain. His journey would end here either way._

"_Now just hold on a minute, you damn bastard!"_

_He straightened, eyes wide as the new voice entered the conversation. He looked to where the owner of the voice was stumbling towards him, his black suit in complete ruin. The cook didn't look too bad, he must have fallen behind a rock to shield him from the worst of the explosion._

"_How are you supposed to get ahead if you're dead? What about your ambition, idiot?"_

"_You…"_

"_Hey, big guy!" The blonde cook stepped between the Shichibukai and swordsman, hands tucked deep into his pockets. "Rather than this moss-headed swordsman, take my life instead!" Sanji's breathing became labored, and he shook with every word. "I know that the Navy may not consider me a threat as of yet but soon enough, the one from this crew who will cause the most trouble is me, Black Leg Sanji!"_

"_Why, you!"_

_The bear man seemed at a loss with the two men in front of him, willingly putting their lives before him, at his mercy. He said nothing for a long time, merely watching the blonde and marimo._

"_Come on, do it!" Sanji murmured through his heavy breath. "Instead of this guy… my life! Take it!" When Kuma didn't respond, he continued. "We're both resigned to the sacrifices we must make! Let this flower of death blossom once and for all!" Without turning, he directed his words to the green-haired teen behind him. "Oi… tell everyone. To take care. Sorry, but… it looks like you'll need to… find yourselves another cook!"_

_He would have none of it. He stood silently, and in one fluid stroke, rammed Shusui's hilt into the cook's side, hitting the pressure point. Sanji immediately whipped around, gripping him at the shoulder. The hazy look in his eyes told him that the cook was livid, but also scared. He knew exactly what was going to happen if he lost it._

"_You… bastard!"_

_His body hit the ground with a thump as he lost consciousness. Kuma looked on silently as he silently pulled his katana from the straps in his harakmaki. "This is my final request," he said, and tossed the swords on the rock at the bear man's feet. His heart wrenched, watching Kuina's prized sword clatter like that against the stone._

_Kuma heaved a sigh. "If I were to lay my hand on Straw Hat after this, my honor would be at stake."_

"_I'm in your debt."_

_Kuma turned toward where Luffy lay spread eagled where he had fallen, a peaceful expression on his face. The bear man knelt, grasping the front of the rubberman's orange vest. "I promise I won't harm him." He lifted Luffy into the air, handling his fragile body with care. "But before I claim your sacrifice, I will make you experience _hell."

_Gently, he placed his pawed hand against his chest. The body convulsed before a red substance was excreted from his captain's skin. He watched with wide eyes as the red smoky material hovered in the air in the shape of a giant paw print._

"_What I have just repelled from his body was his suffering… his stress. This is all the damage he accumulated during his battles with Moria and Oz. If you truly wish to take his place, then must experience the same pain. With the additional damage you've taken, I doubt you'll survive. Please, try some."_

_Kuma repelled a small bubble of the red pain towards him. He watched it draw closer. It couldn't be that bad. A small bubble of pain couldn't do that much compared to the much larger source. Right? Wrong._

_His insides exploded and sewed themselves back together with poisoned thread. His heart beat madly, the blood pounding in his ears. Nails were driven into his skull as all his nerves became receptors of lava. A horrifying scream he had no idea he could make ripped itself from his throat. He crumpled to the ground, heaving massive amounts of air into his aching lungs. A new respect for his captain rose within him, to keep going even after receiving so much damage._

"_How was it?"_

_He clenched his shaking fists. "Just let me choose the place."_

**x X x**

I broke away from her, breathing hard. My eyes felt as huge as golf balls as I suddenly realized why I was down here, what had happened to cause it and… and what I was doing with my crewmate. And _why _I was doing it.

"Holy shit…" I whispered, watching the glow finally reach the tips of my feet. Instantly, a pounding rang in my head, like someone was hammering away at the inside of my skull. It spread to my chest, and I let out a yell as my heart was jump-started, pounding at my ribcage like a charging bull.

"Zoro!" Robin ran her hands down my arms and across my shoulders, massaging the muscles, which didn't help much. Her expression was frantic. She had no idea what was going on, or what to do about it. "What's happening?"

"Give me a second…" I managed to get out, curling into a tight ball. "It'll pass… I think…"

A second was a bit under exaggerated. It was more like five minutes until the pain finally subsided, leaving me hunched over in the water sweating buckets, my chest heaving and my heart pounding. The glow had vanished from my skin, and when I checked, no integers ticked on my forearm. I slowly sat up, facing the raven-haired woman before me. "Okay… I think it's UPGH!"

Robin tackled me in a huge hug, her arms wrapped tightly around my torso, her head nestled into my chest. I immediately returned the hug, pulling her closer to me. The familiar smell of her hair still lingered, and I inhaled it lustfully. I knew she could hear my heartbeat pounding beneath the skin, and a smile pulled at her lips.

"Robin," I whispered into her ear. "Thank you."

"I was so scared," she whispered back. "So scared that it wouldn't work, that it all would have been for nothing."

I snorted. "Death won't take me that easily."

She pulled away, but kept herself tightly encompassed in my embrace. "You do know what this means, don't you?"

"What means?"

She sighed. "Do I need to spell it out for you? Why we're down here, the entire reason you're alive again…"

"I know why."

She blinked, surprise evident in those captivating eyes. "You do?"

I nodded. "I was a spirit for a while, kinda floating around the ship for a long time watching everything. So I know about the legend, the place we're in and… the conditions."

A light flush swept across her cheeks. "So…"

"So I've finally understood at this very moment why I can't seem to stop looking at you," I admitted, averting my eyes and taking a sudden interest in a little crack in the stone cave. This was going to be a hell of a lot harder than I imagined; she knew exactly what I was going to say, but she just wanted to hear it directly from my mouth, and that was just cruel. But that's one of the traits I liked about the archaeologist. "Why I have this overwhelming urge to protect you, and… a lot of other stuff." My words were rushed now. "And the reason is because I –"

"Shhh," she interrupted, holding a finger against my lips. "I want to say it first." She heaved a breath. "Roronoa Zoro…"

"_I love you."_

We spoke simultaneously, our words in perfect sync. Each was met with the embarrassed smile, completely ignoring the "Ew," from Adonis somewhere in the dark. She moved closer, embracing me once again. We sat there for however long we did, simply enjoying the other's company.

"Robin," I finally said, breaking the silence. "Since when?"

"Aokiji," she responded. "You?"

"I don't know," I admitted. "But a while. I mean, I questioned myself a bit after Skypeia, but most of it was just suspicion, and I didn't want to admit it to myself either. I wanted to focus on my training, but it always somehow came up in my thoughts and –"

"Zoro."

"Robin."

"Stop talking."

**Robin's memory segments are taken from a previous one-shot I had published called "Thoughts of an Archaeologist." It's Robin's thoughts on the crew's journey (focusing mainly on Zoro) and I had the idea of adding Robin's bit a day before this was published, so I pretty much copied, pasted, and edited. If you're interested in the whole thing, it's still under "My Stories" in my profile.**

**So I hope you enjoyed this entire chapter! Over 10,000 words, the longest chapter in any of my stories before! I'm pretty proud of myself. :D So please review and tell me what you think! I'll get the next chapter out ASAP!**

**I think only two chapters left. I'm sobbing.**

**Coming Up: Chapter 16 – Friendship that Transcends Time**


	16. Friendship That Transcends Time

**I forewarn you: this is not going to be the best chapter in the entire universe. It was thrown together haphazardly and I'm sure I could do more with it if I wanted to. But I was having some trouble with it (mostly whose POV, how I wanted to go about writing it, and what exactly I wanted to have happen). I hope you can forgive me if it doesn't quite meet your expectations. Please excuse any typos.**

**Remember when I said in the author's notes in chapter…. 6, I think… that I would be hiding a puzzle in here somewhere? It's still there, waiting to be found. shadowangel9999 already found it, so congratulations to her. :) Find it, and you'll get a sneak peek at the sequel, **_**Whispers in the Dark.**_

**Read, review, and enjoy!**

**Review Corner:**

**Blueper – **I don't catch my parents kissing at all, except when they purposely do it to annoy me or embarrass me. Thank you for your kind words; I pride myself in my IC-ness. It kinda just comes naturally. Enjoy the update!

**NinjaSheik – **My brain loves you, too. XD I figured it would. But you made up for your previous chapters with your recent update. The flower on the bed was an adorable touch, but I couldn't squeal aloud like I wanted to because I was kinda in the middle of class when I read it (we never do anything in English… -_-). And yeah, I think I am switching between English and Japanese. I just Google "one piece zoro quotes" or "nico robin quotes" and the variations just pop up. I try and associate the quote with what happens in the chapter… and sometimes the English works best, and other times the Japanese. It's hard to tell the difference, though.

**Anzhela D Asura – **Hello, sweetie. :D It may or may not have been a quote by Madame de Pompedour as a travelling man probes her thoughts… hehe. It's one of my favorite Doctor Who quotes. :) Enjoy the update, and see how many other references you catch. XD

**00000000000000000000Zero00000 – **Well, it's true. She was seduced by Crocodile's jewels. *shrug * Enjoy the update, and thanks for your review!

**graceling42 – **Well, now it's only one more chapter. :( But a sequel is in the making, promise. And a plot twist to pull your socks off. *insert evil laugh here * I think you're thinking about Pirates of the Caribbean… I don't remember having Elphaba ripping out her heart and hiding it somewhere… but then again, I read the book a long time ago, yet seen the Broadway maybe six times? So… YES. I saw the trailer! It's a new director, so hopefully it will be better. (Such negative feedback from Annabeth's brown hair, they decided to change it, so I think) Did you see the guy playing Hermes! It's the guy from Castle! I don't remember his name… this should be interesting. XD

**Mugiwara Wolf Spirite – **Zoro's back and better than ever…! Maybe…!

**Nami Swannn – **Flashbacks took _forever _to write. I'm glad they helped. Please enjoy the update!

**Gummiebear – **Wait no longer, for here is the next chapter! Enjoy the update!

**UltimateC3 – **Thank you very much for your kind words. They really inspire me to continue writing. Wait no more, and enjoy the update.

**mgaa – **I was waiting to write it, so I feel you. :D You're very welcome, and enjoy the new chapter!

**Rasaxe – **It was nice to watch the older episodes again, like Zoro's past and the Mihawk fight, Drum Island, etc. There are so many episodes now, it's hard to decide which arc you would want to watch. Thank you very much, and enjoy the update!

**Guest – **You thought I would let Zoro go memory-less? Now I feel like a monster. Thank you very much for your review!

**Artemis Decibal – ***bows * *in Elvis voice * Thank you, thank you very much! Well, as for getting out of there, it would take too long to write out. So I may have to disappoint you in that sense, but I hope this will make up for it. Enjoy the update!

**Kaitaru Stark-Laufeyson – **Lazy bones, not signing in. XP Please don't die, then I won't get an update on Black as Knight! (speaking of which… *cough *) Spoilers are bad! Bad bad spoilers! Now I'm tempted to change the ending so you won't guess it. I expect a new chapter within 24 hours. 'Kay? Enjoy the update!

**AranisuShousan – **It took a lot of drafting to figure out how I wanted it. Different ideas were running through my head and discarded one after the other until I just let my fingers move and work their magic. Looks like it worked. ;D Enjoy the update!

**armaani – **I still hope I never get amnesia. That'd be scary… I skimmed over it when I first agreed to be your beta, but it was a while ago and I don't remember much. Oh, I see. It needs to be officially announced, then. Please enjoy the update, and I continue working on TT, it should be to you by the end of May, definitely.

**Dukefan01 – **What happened to the others is revealed this chapter. I know it seems like a long time, but in actuality it's only been about eight to ten hours. I love this pairing, too. If I didn't, this story probably wouldn't exist. XD Enjoy the update.

**animheyfangirl (Guest) – **Thank you very much! A lot of the newer readers tend to do that as well. I use "awesomeest" quite frequently, actually, but I don't think it's a word. I don't consider anything about Zo/Ro babbling. And if English is your second language, you're really good at it. I know it's a very difficult language to learn, even if that comes from a native English speaker. Still, take heart; I get your point. ;D *le gasp How did you know I read that in Franky's voice! Are you a ghost, too!?

**Marisoleya – **I did not know that. One Piece doesn't air on American TV, but I think it's scheduled to starting May 18th. I'm excited! River's spoilers are all over the place. Red settings, for example. How many ruins did we hike around…? Enough that they all started to look the same. A goldfish has the memory span of three seconds. Maybe you were a goldfish in a past life. Thank you very much for your review, and enjoy the update!

**shadowangel9999 – **No one in the Straw Hats will tolerate anyone dying for them. I think I will make a DeviantArt. I follow Zippi44 on a bookmark, I like her NaLu stuff for Fairy Tail, and she also does a Lu/Na doujin, though she hasn't updated it in a while. Enjoy the update!

**DirectionallyChallengedKenshi – **What the heck are you doing up at 2 am, anyway!? I would've gone to bed around ten or so. What is it with the people I know and staying up late!? You people are freaking nocturnal. Anyway, enjoy the update!

**Tare-Chan – **I would have thought the water obvious, but apparently not. Oh well. You got it! The memories of a man make him alive! Hold on to those memories, and you'll me more alive than when you're breathing. Robin's segments in the memory transfer were pieces I had already written, and I did not feel like writing any more, so it was basically copy, paste, and edit. The chapter would have fifteen thousand words if I added more of hers. But it was supposed to be Zoro!centric. Enjoy the update!

**KaizokuGari20 – **Thank you very much. I know a lot of stuff happened at once and it can get a little confusing, but kudos to you for muscling through it. I hope this chapter will meet your expectations, even if it doesn't meet mine.

**DelFina18 – ***munch munch * Adonis borrowed some of my popcorn. Guy's a bottomless pit. That would explain it. I'm American. Maybe Zalando is like Amazon, except instead of books and music it's clothes and shoes. Thanks for your review, and enjoy the update

**Zinfer – **Thank you for your multiple reviews! It really means a lot. Zoro's alive and kickin', and to see what happens next, read the next chapter and enjoy the update!

**The Knight of Thirteen – **I was planning to use it during the memory return. I try to make the quote correspond with what happens in the chapter, and the beginning of all Zoro's ambitions was that one quote, so it had to go where he remembered everything. Thanks for your review, and enjoy the update!

**someone (Guest) - **I hope this is fast enough for you! I'm doing my best to write as quickly as possible, but believe it or not, I have a social life, too. XD Enjoy the update!

**Phew! Twenty-seven reviews! That's the most in any chapter, and I thank everyone who reviewed! Enjoy the update! **

Chapter 16 – Friendship That Transcends Time

"_When do you think people die?  
When they are shot through  
the heart by the bullet of  
a pistol? No. When they're  
ravaged by an incurable disease?  
__No. When they drink a soup  
__made from a poisonous mushroom?  
__No. It's when they're forgotten."  
__Dr. Hiruluk_

_Chopper POV_

"Let me out! Get me out of here, dammit! UUUUUUUAAAAAAAAHHHHGH!"

"Luffy, calm down. Someone will hear us!"

"Reindeer-gorilla is right, Straw Hat. Chill out."

"You bastards should know you can't imprison the great Captain Usopp! My army of eight thousand men have already surrounded us with a fleet of one hundred ships and will be attacking any second now!"

"Really!?"

"Of course, young Chopper!"

"He's lying,"

"How could you say such a thing…"

"UUUUUUAAAAAaAAAAAGH!"

_Can he be any louder? _A rat squeaked by my hoof. _I can still hear myself think._

"I know what you mean," I muttered. "He's going to open his wounds again."

There was no one to hear him if he continued yelling anyway. The marines had left us in a secluded cell made of sea prism stone, a substance everyone had already tried their best to break. It nullified my Zoan ability and Luffy's rubber power, and seemed impervious even to Usopp's special kick that had defeated a sea king. The only choice we had left was to wait for everyone's return. And hope Zoro would be with them.

Franky voiced my thoughts. "Yo, Mugiwara. We just have to wait it out."

"Says the guy who got us into this mess…" Usopp muttered.

"Oi!"

"I didn't see Franky-san do anything wrong," Brook intervened. "Though I don't have eyes to see with, yohoho!"

"Shut it, stupid skeleton!"

"Brook is right," I finally managed to get in, standing and facing my nakama determinedly. "We're all sore from fighting nonstop, and with added tension, your body will be in no fighting shape at all when they finally do come for us. So doctor's orders: don't exert yourself."

"Bastards," Luffy growled one more time through the bars and finally resigned himself, sitting on the floor as he fingered a button on his ruined vest. It still remained a mystery to me how in the world Luffy was conscious when he should still be out cold. He received ten times the amount of damage we did combined, and yet Zoro, the second most powerful member of our crew, was the one who lost his life. _What on earth happened?_

I pulled my pink hat over my eyes, a habit when I was deep in thought. These curiosities wracking my mind since the marines had finally overwhelmed us. When Luffy had been taken down by a sea prism stone bolas, the rest of us slowly succumbed to exertion and generally being outnumbered. If our other three powerhouses had been there, namely Robin, Sanji and Zoro, we would have no problem fighting them off. But our morale was low, our bodies battered, and our energy virtually nonexistent.

I had faith that Nami, Robin, and Sanji would succeed. But how they would find us in this marine warship, locked in the brig on our way to a prison, I had not the faintest clue. I don't want to go to prison!

We sat in silence for a long time. Day turned to night, and night into day. I slept very little, and the amount I did get was restless. When the sun finally began to lighten the musky cell, my joints ached and protested when I moved. I could tell the others felt the same way. No one came to deliver a breakfast, and my stomach rumbled, eager for Sanji's excellent cooking. We spoke very little, save for Luffy constantly yelling and attacking the bars to the cell, moaning and drifting to the floor every time he came into contact with the sea prism stone. Even I thought it was kind of pathetic.

I estimated the time around ten o'clock in the morning when there was a sudden pounding of feet above our heads. The marines were agitated about something, and running to regroup. Maybe a sea king had appeared! Or maybe we had arrived at our destination, even after so short a travel period. The sounds of gunfire peppered the air with the yells of wounded men and clash of steel on steel, quickly eliminating the latter possibility.

"Looks like they ran into more pirates," Franky observed.

I looked up through a crack in the ceiling, were we could barely see the boots of the humans running above us, making the stream of light flicker nauseatingly. Something pinkish fluttered through the crack. Everyone's eyes followed the papery object as it drifted through the air, coming to rest on the tip of my blue nose before dissipating into nothing, leaving behind the faint smell of lilacs.

I exchanged excited looks with Usopp. "I bet I know why the marines are agitated!" the sharpshooter grinned.

"They're back!" Franky confirmed. "Super timing!"

Brook rained on our parade. "But what if Zoro-san is not with them?"

Tears began to well up behind my eyes. If we failed, I wouldn't live with myself. If I had just administered first aid sooner, this might not have happened.

Usopp wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "Oi, Brook," he chided. "There's no way subordinates would fail!"

Luffy suddenly heaved a deep breath. "OOOOOOOOiiiiiiii!" he yelled in that loud voice of his. "We're down here! Robin, Nami, Sanji, Zoro!"

We waited, hearts pounding. The yells didn't cease for a long time, explosions rocking the ship. After all, four warships were escorting the infamous Straw Hat pirates. Finally, an explosion occurred right next to us, several marines falling through the hole in the ceiling just outside the bars to our cell. Falling down after them was a familiar lanky figure dressed in a strange getup of what looked like a bed sheet wrapped around his hips and golden bands around his biceps, a cigarette dangling from his lips.

"SAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNJJIIIIIIII!" Usopp and I sobbed, though through my tears I wondered why on Earth our chef was wearing such a strange outfit.

"Super nice entrance, Curly Cook," Franky praised. "And that sheet is totally a man's romance!"

"Oi, Sanji," Luffy ordered as the blonde chef stood and approached them. "Open this cage right now so I can kick their asses!"

Sanji complied, producing keys from his sheet. He still had not spoken, which shook me to the core. What did the expression of defeat on his face mean? Was Brook's comment correct after all? Did they really fail?

Luffy was the first one out the door, eyes blazing. "UUUUUUAAAAAGH! I'll teach those guys what happens when you lock me up!"

"Wait, Luffy!" Usopp tried to stop him, but the rubberman was already launching himself through the hole Sanji had created. Shouts of surprised marines and "_It's Straw Hat Luffy!" _immediately followed. "Geez…"

"So how'd it go, Curly Cook?" Franky asked. "Is Zoro-bro gonna make it?"

Sanji exchanged glances with the shipwright, his one visible eye cloaked in dull emotion. But I detected a pull in his lips, so subtle I thought I must have imagined it.

A feminine grunt met our ears as a body hit the deck. Sanji immediately went into _Protect-female _mode, leaping after Luffy with a heroic cry of "NAMI-SWAN! Your knight in shining armor is coming to rescue you!"

"What are we waiting for?" Franky grinned, removing the skin sheet over his fist to reveal the brass knuckles beneath. IT still amazed me how well the metal had been integrated into his body. "Let's kick marine ass!"

We didn't need telling twice. With a yell we jumped from the galley and into the fray above. Usopp and I were immediately surrounded by about eight marines, their guns trained on us. I grew to Heavy Point, standing back to back with the sniper, who had prepared one of his attacks.

I could detect Luffy's faint scent of stretched rubber with that tang of meat somewhere on another ship, but gunpowder prevented me from determining his exact location. Sanji's smoky scent was mixed with a trace of citrus, so Nami must be nearby as well. But the smell of fresh coffee, and the steely aroma I had come to admire were not among the many scents floating in the air, which puzzled me. Hadn't one of Robin's Hana Hana petals rested on my nose?

"You Straw Hats won't escape that easily!" one of the brave marines stammered. "Don't think you can win!"

"We'll see about that!" Usopp yelled, cocking his slingshot. I raised a clenched fist, pressure building up behind my eyes, but I refused to cry. I remembered what Zoro had told me back in the Davy Back Fight, oh so long ago: _When you set out to sea, it was your own decision and now you have to live with the consequences. Not one pirate worth his salt is gonna sympathize with those tears. A man would quietly suck it up and watch the rest of this game._

Those words had stayed with me since, and had ultimately become my motto. My special words. My fingernails dug into m palms as I prepared my attack. If Zoro wasn't here to fight anymore, then I would become stronger and fight his part, too.

"Heavy –"

"Santoryuu –"

"Gong!"

"Tatsu Maki!"

The marines I punched fell back into the winding tornado of razor-sharp winds, screaming in pain. The doctor side of me was repelled as I stared in stunned silence, Usopp just as speechless. The wind slowly died away, disturbed particles in the atmosphere settling down. It took a while for my brain to process what had just happened, and by the time it did, I could faintly make out two silhouettes through the dust, one male and one female. A sea breeze blew through my hair and across my nose, bringing with it the scent of salt, fish, flowers, sweat and steel. Scents I recognized immediately.

"What's up, Chopper?" Usopp poked my side, trying to get my attention.

"It's… them…" I managed, eyes fixed on the approaching figures. Usopp followed my gaze, rendered the same as me as the dust finally settled.

Black hair. Slender legs. Blue eyes. Arms crossed across the human female breast.

Broad shoulders. Muscular arms. Scarred skin. Thick neck. Charcoal eyes. Shock of green hair.

"Oh, Chopper, I thought that was you," said a deep voice. "Nice punch."

"ZORO!" I let all the tears out now, shrinking into Brain Point and charging toward him full speed. He grunted as the force of my impact on his face forced him back sitting down hard on the deck while Robin just laughed. The hilts of swords in his hand fell as he did, clanging against the deck. He must have scavenged some from marines, seeing as how his were still in the crow's nest where Robin had left them during that cyclone.

Usopp joined in the hug, his nose running. "Zoro we missed you so much! I'm so glad you're okay!" he sobbed.

"Oi, guys," Zoro mumbled through my fur coat. His warm breath against my skin was enough to convince me I wasn't dreaming. "Can't breathe."

"Ah!"

We disentangled ourselves from our returned first mate. He was dressed almost the same way I had last seen him, but his clothes were clean and crisp, even if slowly dirtying from the gunpowder in the air, in addition to some bleeding wounds on his forearm. Robin was looking very nice in her sheet similar to Sanji's, and if I were attracted to human females, I'd say she was very pretty. The sounds of battle continued to rage around us. Sanji suddenly appeared momentarily, smirked in our direction, and disappeared again. That got me thinking.

"We would have been here earlier, except Robin had to do something… read a Point Glop," Zoro replied when asked why they took so long to arrive.

"A _Poneglyph,_ Zoro," Robin corrected. "And it was very important to achieving my dream. It took a lot of convincing to make the Valkyrie show it to me. They're just lucky I read poneglyphs and they don't."

"Yeah… I don't really get that history stuff."

"Sorry to interrupt," Usopp interjected. "So what happened to you guys? What did you have to do?"

Zoro turned a shade of red I'd never seen on him before. What did it mean?

"Perhaps when the crew is completely reunited," Robin piped up. "It's a very long story we should only tell once."

This encouraged me to fight my hardest, so as to complete the battle faster. I could smell Zoro little ways off, keeping a relatively low profile. I suspected it was Robin's influence on him; normally he would have defeated everyone by now.

Finally, all the marine were defeated, and all the Straw Hat pirates, minus Robin and Zoro, had reboarded the Sunny, which had been towed behind us. Franky was overjoyed at seeing his beloved ship, thanking any deity he could think of that she had not been sunk.

Luffy immediately rounded on Nami and Sanji. "Oi, where are Robin and Zoro?"

Nami had gotten a makeover, too, and also dressed in a sheet. Did the people of Myth Island really dress so scantily? Granted, Nami dressed scantily almost every day so I shouldn't have been surprised, but still. They exchanged glances. I didn't know why they didn't ust reveal the good news. Sanji obviously knew Zoro had returned, and if he did, then Nami would know also, that their nakama were alive and well. And missing. Usopp appeared to be just as confused.

"They're –" Nami began, and Luffy's eyes displayed slight horror as denial of what Nami was going to say built up inside him.

At that moment, the door to the kitchen opened, and Robin appeared in the frame, a biscuit in her hand. We all watched her in stunned silence, confused as to why she had been hiding in the galley. She smiled that mysterious smile of hers and stepped onto the grassy lawn where we had converged, and I once again caught a whiff of steel. Behind the archaeologist came a tall green-haired man chugging a bottle of sake.

Eye contact was briefly made before Zoro suddenly found himself surrounded by eight excited, overjoyed, and sobbing crewmates, Robin smiling and Nami and Sanji getting misty-eyed, though the cook looked about ready to shoot himself because of it. I inhaled that smell of his, determined not to let it disappear again.

"What happened!?"

"Tell us everything!"

"I'm so glad you're alive!"

"Does this mean…!?"

"DAMMIT GET OFF OF ME!"

The clamor died down, and we settled into a semi-circle, surrounding the four who went off on their own to bring back the swordsman. The midday sun beat down on our heads, and Sanji provided drinks. Then the archaeologist, cartographer and chef traded off telling their individual stories (until it was just the females, because Sanji fainted at the mention of the Valkyrie). It was at that point in the story when I realized why Nami, Robin and Sanji were in bedsheets.

Then Nami dropped off as well, and soon it was only Robin relaying the events, because Nami had been left behind. I could tell by her body language she left some stuff out; the blood was rising in her cheeks, and her fingers played with the grass, the hand extremely close to where Zoro reclined still chugging his alcohol. I was too interested in the story to pay much attention to the drinking.

When she came to the cavern and River, Zoro finally interrupted. "How does it matter?" He said hurriedly. "Everything's back to normal. Oi, ero-cook. Get me some more sake."

"Of course it matters!" Nami berated. "I want to hear it from you guys' mouth! You kissed, didn't you!?"

"Yes," said Robin.

"No," said Zoro, though his face betrayed him.

"Congratulations!" Franky pat Zoro roughly on the back. A little too rouhly, because the swordsman suddenly convulsed, coughing up blood on the grass. Chaos erupted.

"Zoro! Drink more sake, it'll help!"

"No it won't, you moron!"

"AAAAAH! WE NEED A DOCTOR!"

"That's you!"

"Oh, right."

With help from Franky and Brook, a sedated Zoro was carted off into the infirmary. Putting a stethoscope to his chest, I detected rising blood pressure, and upon further investigation, diagnosed fractured bones, ripped organs, and a punctured lung. I would need to perform surgery, and fast. I reached for a needle in slight panic. If I didn't operate immediately, Zoro would die. Again, and then it really would be my fault.

"Here," said a gentle voice, and I looked over as Robin pressed the instrument into my hoof. Her eyes were worried, but also confident. "We're counting on you, Doctor Chopper."

"T-that's silly!" I giggled. "Complimenting me doesn't make me happy, you bastard!"

"Do your best," she said. "Would you mind if I stayed here and assisted?"

I glanced toward my patient, whose breathing had become labored. Blood flowed freely from reopened wounds not fully healed from Thriller Bark, and additional wounds taken from the trip.

"Yes, " I said, and Robin smiled.

.o0o.

"We're going to have a giant party!" Luffy declared that night. Zoro's surgery had been successful, and was currently out cold in the sick bay, doped up on anesthetic and painkillers. Robin refused to leave his side, quietly accepting the food and drink brought to her.

"Shall I be in charge of the music compilations, then?" Brook suggested, whipping out his violin with a flourish.

"Sanji, food!"

"Yeah, yeah. Give me a while to prepare it."

"Who cares, we'll eat it raw."

"LIKE HELL."

"SUPER!"

A hour later, the Straw Hat crew, including Robin (though she kept an eye, literally, on the sick bay) were converged in the kitchen, singing, laughing, dancing and getting drunk. Brook had us on the third round of _Bink's Sake, _while Franky and Usopp were performing an awesome tabletop disco dance. I joined in with my chopstick-nose performance, Luffy laughing merrily. Even if it was only the eight of us, there was enough noise to awaken the dead.

"How is Zoro's condition?" Nami asked me during a brief moment of clarity.

"I'd never seen Zoro take on so much damage before," I admitted, nibbling on a piece of cake. "I'm sure something happened when we were knocked out. But he's stabilized for now, and should be fine in a couple of weeks." _As long as he keeps his bandages on and takes his medicine, _I added as an afterthought.

Robin looked distant through the majority of the celebration, like she couldn't get the swordsman's condition from her mind. I didn't know how the human female brain functioned when it came to emotional things like _love,_ but I could tell she really needed a distraction.

"Hey, Robin," I said, approaching my fellow bookworm. She looked down where I had tugged on the hem of her long pants, a forced smile on her face.

"What's on your mind?" she asked, patting the seat next to her on the futon, and I joined her there.

"I just noticed you looked really sad," I admitted.

She shook her head. "Not sad. Just thinking. What happened in the cavern and the River Chai… Zoro and I shared something not many can, and I know more about him then I ever thought I could have. It explains so much, and yet leaves still so many more unsolved mysteries. I worry about him sometimes, but I suppose I'm just reaping what I sowed."

"Zoro's going to be fine," I assured her, gesturing toward the center of the room. The table had been pushed to the side to make way for the dance floor, which Franky was currently burning up with his _Super Dance. "_Have some fun, okay?"

She blinked at me, a bit surprised, and then smiled brightly again, transforming into the bright human female I admired. "I think you're right. Let's have some fun."

**For those who don't know, a **_**bolsa **_**is that little strip of leather with two balls tied at the end, used for entangling the legs of game on hunting trips. The Na'vi use it in the Avatar movie when capturing Jake Sully. And when I refer to biscuit, I mean a lump of bread you can put eggs and bacon and stuff in, not a cookie, for all you British people. (I've had scones before; those are good!)**

**I can't stress enough how dissatisfied I am with this chapter. But I can't be too too picky because I had to fit a lot of events in a short time span, and explain a lot of things, and do a bunch of other crap… I'm a honey badger. 'Cause honey badger don't give a shit.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it! Next is the last chapter of **_**the Stuff of Legends,**_** and then we can get on with the sequel! I'll tell you now, however, that I'm going to be trying out a new update method that I'll explain later, so just as a forewarning.**

**Read, review, enjoy, and I'll see you soon!**

**Coming Up: Chapter 17 – Epilogue – Until We Meet Again**


	17. Epilogue - Until We Meet Again

**I just want you guys to know… I cried… so hard… writing this.**

**Not just because it's the final chapter. Not just because I'm so happy and so grateful to you guys for sticking with it until the end. But because I had to write these scenes. I've made it official: **_**Bink's Sake**_** on violin is the saddest music I have ever heard in my entire life. Not even some of the OSTs from Fairy Tail are as sad as that, and that's saying something if you watch Fairy Tail, that is.**

**The answer to the puzzle will be revealed at the bottom of this chapter. Try and figure it out before then. :) I'll give you a hint below the Review Corner. Thank you guys again, and be sure to look for Whispers in the Dark, coming out soon!**

**Review Corner:**

**NinjaSheik – **So much happiness, indeed. It was difficult to figure out what I wanted to do, but apparently it turned out okay. I see what you mean when you say I switch between English and Japanese. I do need to decide, don't I? But I dunno, I kind of like it. Thank you so much for following through to the end.

**00000000000000000000Zero0000 – **The Myth Island arc is like a filler arc, or kind of like an insertion into the main plot. In other words, no, the crew doesn't know. Only Sanji, Brook, Robin and Zoro himself, though only Robin and Zoro know it all the way through, having shared memories. And I suppose a combination of all of those. Even if it's dead, a body can still take damage, and coming back to that would be pretty painful, wouldn't you agree? After all, in the canon, he was out cold for nearly five days after Sanji found him. I'm sure he'd take some additional damage.

**graceling42 – **Since I didn't have a Chopper quote, but I wanted to use the Hiruluk, I figured the doctor would be a suitable candidate. I don't think I've written him before, and I quite honestly believe I won't do it again. XD But I'm glad it turned out good. Well… you have until the end of the chapter. But the hint is right below the review corner. Let's see if you get it. Should be pretty obvious. Well… he was made without a heart. Nathan Fillon. I don't watch Castle, so I wouldn't know. The only reason I knew that is because I looked it up when I saw the screen shot on my Facebook newsfeed. XD

**Kaitaru Stark-Laufeyson – **You, woman, have some explaining to do on your latest _Black as Knight_ chapter. But seeing as this is a review reply, I'll let you go. But you'd better sleep with one eye open, missy. Just because I'm halfway across the world doesn't mean I don't have teleporting abilities. XP Actually, in ranking close to Zoro, I'd say Luffy first, Robin second, and Chopper third. But we're entitled to our opinions. And as for procrastination… I'm supposed to be doing Pre-Calculus homework as I'm finishing this chapter up. _You're welcome._ Thanks for following!

**Mugiwara Wolf Spirite – **Like I told Zero, the Myth Island arc is like a filler arc, or kind of like an insertion into the main plot. In other words, no, the crew doesn't know. Technically, it's not a sequel, just like a continuation or another Zo/Ro story, but with references to Myth Island, etc. Couple of weeks… thanks… -_-"

**dukefan01 – **Thank you very much. For reference… don't listen to anything sad. At all. Period. Unless you want to cry. Thank you so much for following! :D

**blueper – **Tough-guy Zoro cracks me up. Thank you so much for following this to the end. Enjoy the Epilogue, and thanks for your review!

**Nami Swannn – **Zoro is finally back with the crew and ready to continue their adventures. But I'm kind of scared not everyone will like the first few chapters of _Whispers. _Thank you so much for toughing it out this whole time, and enjoy the epilogue.

**Puzzle Hint:**

**Chapter** 17 – **E**pilogue: Until We Meet Again

"_Before the heart of truth,  
there is no need for words."  
Nico Robin_

_Robin POV_

Something exploded. Dust and debris billowed outward, masking the source, but at that moment, whatever caused it was put out of my mind. A scream overlapped the huge noise, followed by the early inaudible sound of a body collapsing.

At first I didn't think much of it. Old habits were kicking in, to just leave them to take care of themselves. When faced with a threat like a Pacifista, it was all you could do to save your own skin. I continued to run until I heard Usopp's voice over the din.

"Zoro! Zoro was hit by a beam!"

"Z-Zoro-san!"

I stopped short, the words freezing in my heart. The dust cleared, and a tall man in a yellow suit and marine admiral cloak appeared from the depths. "Kizaru!?" I whispered in fear. He stood over where Zoro lay shaking in the grass, blood staining the back of his red and white shirt. Red droplets stained the green stalks by his mouth, chest heaving.

I could only watch as the admiral's Devil Fruit began to kick in, his foot shining brightly as it was raised directly above Zoro's huddled form. He hadn't fully recovered from our ordeal in Valhalla and Myth Island, and it was showing at the worst possible time. There was no way he could defend himself in his condition.

"Zoro!" Luffy screamed.

"He can fire a laser!" Franky exclaimed. "This is bad! If Zoro-bro gets hit at such a close range, he'll die!"

"Zoro's in trouble!" The look on our captain's face was horrifying. Such a look of pain I'd never witnessed before. The thought of losing his first mate and best friend for the second time, so soon after Thriller Bark and Myth Island, ripped him to shreds. "USOPP!"

The yell jerked the sniper, who was closest to Zoro, into motion. "You – stop it!" he threatened weakly, aiming his kabuto at the admiral, who continued to stand there casually, as if silently torturing us. The long-nosed teen fired a shot straight toward his forehead, but the lead ball passed clean through Kizaru's face. Stunned, Usopp tried again, and again, but each attack ended the same as the first. "Damn it! Why!? I can't hit him!"

Brook ran forward now, thrusting his sword through Kizaru's chest, holy to find no blood spurted from the strike. "I can't stab him, either! What do we do!?"

Kizaru took the following attacks without so much as a a bat of the eye, not even registering Usopp and Brook's requests for him to move and leave Zoro alone. Finally, he appeared to decide to reveal the source of his inability to be shot or stabbed. "It's no use," he drawled. "I ate the _Pika Pika no mi. _I'm a light man. Logia type."

"A light man?" Franky echoed.

"You're kidding, right?" Nami trembled. "Zoro's gonna die!"

"Zoro! RUN!" Chopper screamed, tears streaming from his eyes. "Zoro!"

I could only watch in stunned silence. My limbs were frozen, and wouldn't move when I tried. Was it fear or anger rooting me to the spot? Whatever the reason, I couldn't do anything to help the hapless swordsman.

Zoro slowly shifted, murmuring into the grass, voice laced with pain. "My body… won't move…"

"No use!" Sanji translated. "That guy is at his limit already!"

I finally managed to regain control of my own limbs at the thought of losing Zoro permanently this time. If we couldn't 'move the admiral, then we'd move Zoro. I crossed my arms over my chest. "_Veinte Fleur!"_

Arms bloomed from the ground next to his immobile body, the texture of the fabric pressing into my palms as I latched on to the back of his shirt and began to roll him out from under Kizaru's foot. I didn't bother to grab the discarded sword he had borrowed from somewhere. What mattered was his life. His eyes found me as he rolled over, and I detected an unspoken _thank you._

"Alright!" Usopp cheered. "Great, Robin!"

Kizaru, however, had other plans. He transformed into light and reformed directly over the path I was rolling. It was too close to change course, and I could only watch as the user's foot slammed into Zoro's back, pinning him to the grass. I pulled harder at his shirt, but a part of me knew it was futile.

"He – just got over there in an instant!" Usopp stammered.

"I won't let you get away…" Kizaru stated slowly. "It's useless. You die now."

Silence swept across the archipelago as every Straw Hat pirate silently screamed Zoro's name, each person terrified at the thought of losing Zoro once again. But none were more terrified or saddened than I.

A figure sped across the ground, faster than my eyes could follow. He slammed into Kizaru, redirecting the laser beam of light into a giant tree, the explosion shaking the very ground beneath our feet.

Zoro groaned as Kizaru stepped off him. "So now you decide to show yourself, Dark King Rayleigh?"

My eyes widened. Sure enough, the Pirate king Gol D. Roger's first mate stood opposite the marine admiral, having just saved Zoro's life. "I won't let you take out these youngsters," Rayleigh said matter-of-factly. "Their era is just beginning!"

"Pops!" Luffy yelled, fear still present in his voice.

"He saved him," Franky observed as some of the crew collapsed in exhaustion. I couldn't help but smile in relief, but this relief was short lived.

"Usopp, Brook!" Luffy yelled from across the archipelago. "Take Zoro and run!"

"Right!" Usopp gathered Zoro into his arms and ran, the skeletal musician right behind him.

"Everyone, think only of how to escape!" Luffy ordered. "Right now, we can't beat these guys!" I never thought I would hear those words from our captain's mouth, a captain who never ran from a fight, a captain who would loudly declare he would kick any and everyone's ass for so much as insulting one of his nakama.

Everyone split up into groups of three. Nami, Franky and Sanji took off together while Chopper, Luffy and I fled the scene. Usopp, Brook and Zoro had already disappeared somewhere inside the mass of trees. Meanwhile, Rayeligh and Kizaru had begun a dramatic sword battle, explosions causing the very island to rumble in protest.

Two explosions that didn't originate from their battle, however, drew our attention to the space behind a massive root in the direction Usopp Brook and Zoro had fled. No doubt a beam from a Pacifista. But there was no way to tell what had happened, and Luffy immediately veered in their direction, Chopper and I close behind.

"They're in trouble over there," Luffy panted, but an attack from Sentomaru drew his attention.

"Luffy!" Chopper yelled as the captain was sent flying back into a building. "How can he hurt a rubberman!?"

"Chopper, don't stop!" I reminded him breathlessly.

"SAANJI!"

We whipped around just in time to see the cook take a direct hit from a Pacifista. Not a moment later, another beam directed at Usopp forced the sniper to accidentally drop Zoro's limp body to the ground, which suddenly spasmed as Zoro grunted in discomfort. That appeared to be the last straw for Chopper, who grew to Heavy Point, simultaneously popping three Rumble Balls into his mouth. The doctor instantly transformed into a massive beast twenty times his normal size, roaring like an ancient dinosaur.

"I had heard of this…" I whispered, recalling stories I had been told during the storming of Enies Lobby. It was more terrifying and powerful than I had dared to imagine. I rushed to where Luffy remained in the rubble of the collapsed building, managing to pull him to safety just before a boulder flattened us.

"ANOTHER ONE SHOWED UP!" Usopp's voice screamed.

True to his word, another Kuma had appeared, but this one seemed different. It appeared to be having a conversation with Zoro, who had somehow managed to lurch to his feet, his entire body shaking uncontrollably. As the bear-man made to remove the glove from his hand, I became instantly convinced this was the real Shichibukai Bartolomew Kuma.

"If you were to go on vacation, where would you like to go?"

Zoro tensed.

"O-oi… Zoro…" Usopp whispered, reaching out toward the swordsman. "If you don't run…"

Kuma raised his hand. Zoro's head turned, somehow knowing which direction I was standing. Our eyes connected for the briefest of moments. His mouth moved, trying to form words, but before he could finish, the warlord's hand descended.

I blinked. Zoro had disappeared.

"ZORO!" Luffy screamed.

A roar drew my attention, and I wrapped my arms around my captain's chest and leaped to the side just in time to avoid monster-Chopper's hand crashing down on top of us. "Stop, Chopper!" I yelled once I had regained my stance. "Don't be reckless!"

"WHERE DID ZORO GO!?" Luffy continued screaming. He whipped around, glaring at where Sentomaru stood a few feet away. "Oi! What did he do to Zoro!? Where did he go!? Answer me, dammit!"

"I have no obligation to answer," Sentomaru said roughly. "I'm the most tight-lipped man in the world." Despite his words, the rotund marine side-eyed us. "They say that anyone who gets blasted by his pads is sent flying for three days and three nights, though I'm not sure whether it's true or not." Luffy choked on a breath, eyes wide with horror. "Nobody except the person who was sent flying knows where to, though… but it definitely won't be on this island, or anywhere else where you might meet them anytime soon. They might end up on the edge of some distant sea. But you can guarantee you'll never see them again."

"What!?" Luffy glanced toward where Usopp, Brook and Sanji lay half-dead at the Warlord and Pacifista's mercy. However, Kuma surprised everyone by blasting PX-1 away, the cyborg flying off into the distance. "You three, run!" Luffy ordered. "Run away! We'll thing this through once we're safe!"

We never got the chance. One by one, the rest of us succumbed to the power of the Shichibukai. Brook vanished next, attempting to protect Usopp as he tried to get Sanji to safety. Usopp was the next to disappear, having been discarded for his safety by the enraged cook. This roused Sanji into a greater state of anger, but that anger proved his downfall, and the world-class chef disappeared midair, leaving nothing but a blast of wind behind. Luffy burst into Gear Second, ignoring my warning to not let his rage overcome him, but despite his fearsome power, Franky vanished with a small pop. Our brilliant navigator followed immediately after, Luffy desperately screaming her name. Chopper roared again, his enormous form reaching out for the bear-man, but in the blink of an eye, even that monstrous body had been sent flying.

Zoro. Brook. Usopp. Sanji. Franky. Nami. Chopper. Only Luffy and I were left.

The captain was a wreck. Eyes blinded by fear and rage and hopelessness, confidence shattered. His body was beaten and battered, mental exhaustion taking its toll on his mind. Watching his beloved nakama vanish right before his eyes. He may not have realized it, but I took the blows as hard as he did. Under previous circumstances, I wouldn't care if the crew became separated like this. But because I had grown to love them, the entire family, the family I never had, was falling apart.

I somehow wasn't surprised as Kuma slowly began to walk in my direction. Frightened, yes, but not surprised. I backed away from him, my own body depleted of energy, but I wouldn't stop running. I'd had twenty years of practice, after all. Luffy, still trying to recover from the loss of the navigator and doctor, was too far to reach me in time, but he tried anyway. "Robin!" he yelled, putting one last ditch effort to save me, reaching out his arm, fingers extended.

"Luffy!" I yelled back, stretching out to meet him, but I knew inside it was too late.

_Until we meet again._

Shaboady Archipelago blinked from existence.

- 2 Years Later -

"It's been a long time, everybody!" Brook chortled merrily, standing from where he had gracefully landed on the deck of the Thousand Sunny where Nami, Usopp, Franky and I had already congregated. The old skeleton looked practically the same since I had last seen him two years ago, but now he wore floral pants and a long-sleeved suit with a bright orange feather boa scarf around his shoulders. And odd combination, I'd admit, but a nice one all the same.

"You two have become even more beautiful," the musician continued, turning tto look where Nami and I sat side by side on the bench. He moved and sat on a nearby barrel, crossing one leg over the other. "Alright, Nami-san! It's been two years so…"

"Oh, are you going to sing for us?" The nearly unrecognizable sharpshooter asked excitedly.

Brook opened his mouth, appearing to be answering Usopp's request until he comically fooled us. "Could I look at your panties –"

"What do you think?!" Nami screeched, sending Soul King trembling to the deck with a powerful sideswipe. "I never let you see them, even two years ago!"

"I'm so excited to see you again… see? It's shaking my soul… Although I don't have a soul to be shaken…"

"Hey, the big star is having a spasm," Usopp commented plainly.

"Honestly," Nami sighed. "None of you guys have grown up."

"By the way," Brook continued after regaining his composure. "I don't see everyone here yet." It was true; the musician had noted the absence of Chopper, Sanji, Luffy and Zoro.

"Yes," I explained with a smile. "Chopper went to get them."

There was a tug on my heart at the thought of seeing thee swordsman again. My last memory of him was not a pretty one, a time of despair, fear, and hopelessness. I wanted to replace that memory with one of our reunion after two long years of separation. I wondered how much he had changed, if he changed at all. I didn't fool myself into thinking he would come back wearing his usual white shirt, haramaki and black pants, bandanna round his left arm, snoring loudly on the deck.

As if on cue, a familiar yell resounded toward us, and we all turned to face the direction from which the cry had come. Fro the trees came the massive multicolored bird Chopper had brought with him, but three more figures could now be seen alongside the tiny doctor.

"Here they come!" Franky said cheerfully.

"Hey!" Luffy yelled again, the happiness on his face overwhelming. One could almost never guess the tragedies that had befallen him. "Everyone!" As he drew closer, our captain's face slowly grew clearer. His visage had become older and more defined, losing some of the boyish features he had two years ago. The nineteen year old had traded his sleeveless vest with a cardigan and a yellow sash.

I saw Sanji next. The cook had grown taller, the beginnings of a beard stubbing his chin. His hair was longer as well, the yellow bangs swept to the other side of his face to reveal his left eye, the brow spiraling downwards. He had not lost his crisp black suit, nor the cigarette dangling from between his lips spread into a wide smile.

My eyes finally found Zoro, Chopper perched on his shoulder as usual. The swordsman, as if sensing my eyes upon him, turned his head to meet me, smiling gently. He was definitely buffer than I remembered, taller and covered with more scars, including one over his left eye. I guessed it was safe to assume it was useless now. Now he wore a long green yukata and red sash, the three swords stuck through his prized haramaki.

"I brought them!" Chopper greeted.

"Luffy, Zoro, Sanji!" Usopp cheered.

"Hey!" Nami waved, a bright grin on her elegant countenance.

I smiled widely as the family was once again reunited, not moving my eyes for an instant from the approaching men.

"You guys sure do look stronger!" Franky praised.

"Luffy-san!" Brook sobbed. "I missed you so much!"

"We're all together again," Usopp voiced everyone's inner most feelings, wiping a stray tear from his eye.

The bird landed, and Luffy, Zoro and Chopper disembarked as Usopp went to collect Sanji from the red ocean. I hoped the cook wouldn't bleed to death after the amount of blood spurting from his nose with such force to knock him from the bird's back. Luffy marveled over Franky's reinforced body as Chopper sent his newfound friend along his way. Zoro, however, only had eyes for me, and he paced across the deck rapidly to where I stood near the opposite rail, watching.

"Robin," he said, and that was all he needed to say before I threw myself at him, connecting our lips in a passionate kiss. He returned it strongly, arms wrapped around my waist in the way I had so missed during our separation. Words didn't need to describe how much each of us had ached for the other, not knowing anything of their whereabouts. Zoro and I let the kiss do the talking.

"Get a room," someone, probably Nami, said, but I paid no mind.

We broke apart for breath, and I simply stood there and relished the presence of the man whom I loved. His physical warmth engulfed me, the feeling of safety and comfort I had not felt during all my years running from the World Government. The person who had taught me to love, involuntarily of course, was here, alive and breathing, holding me tight against him like he couldn't bear to let me go.

The ship was suddenly rocked as a cannonball crashed into the ocean directly beside us. Everyone rushed to the railing, beholding the three Navy warships approaching Shaboady Archipelago and aiming straight for us.

"Just like old times," Zoro chuckled.

I nodded. "Just like old times."

In no time at all, the coating was inflated, and the Straw Hat pirates yelled triumphantly as the Thousand Sunny sank beneath the waves, leaving behind the beautiful island.

Shaboady Archipelago. The place of our death. And the place of our rebirth.

_Fin._

**Well… that's all, I regret to say. This is the completion of **_**the Stuff of Legends.**_** Thank you all again so much for following this through to the end. I've never had such an amazing turnout for a story. As I finish this chapter, the stats stand thus:**

**Followers – 120  
Favorites – 91  
****Words: 77,254  
****Communities – 2  
****Reviews – 225  
****Overall Views – 20,521**

**Thank you all so much again. And here's what you've been looking for! The answer to the puzzle! I gave you the hint above, and if if you figured it out, congratulations! If not, here we go:**

**The hint was **Chapter – E. **This means look at the chapter drop down menu, indicating chapter titles. The letter **_E _**tells you to look at the first letter of each Chapter. If you do this, it spells out:**

**Z-O-R-O-X-R-O-B-I-N-F-O-R-L-I-F-E**

**Which then says: Zoro x Robin For Life.**

**Those who figured out the puzzle mention it in the review or shoot me a PM, and expect a sneak preview at the sequel, **_**Whispers in the Dark. **_**But don't worry, if you didn't get it, I'll leave you something, too, as a token of my appreciation:**

"_You get rid of it," Zoro said. "Or you get rid of me."_

**I don't want to drag this out any longer than it needs to be.**

**So until the next adventure, this is Santoryuu3, singing off.**


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